Have Faith In Me
by AnchorageUnpainted
Summary: Renji thinks he doesn't need to be involved with another Shinigami. But when she proves to be just as powerful, maybe even stronger than he, what will he do? This is my first fic, please enjoy! :3 Renji x OC
1. Chapter 1

The Seireiti was silent, as it usually was. There was no reason for my patrol. I shuffled aimlessly near the south wall, wondering about my promotion. Sure, I was still a student in the Academy, but my placement was very promising. I was the top of my class-surely I'd be at least a third chair. And ever since the three captains had left, there were open spots for captians and assistant captains. I would be surprised if I was placed there immediately. "Michiru!"  
His voice echoed quietly, reassuring me that the Seireiti was entirely too quiet. "Yes?" I asked, turning to find Yumichika bounding toward me. "Michiru, they're asking you to go to the World of the Living with Ikkakku and I," he said, his eyes wide. "They want to evaluate you. Now."  
My jaw dropped. "Now? But I still have another semester-"  
"Now. You're up for early placement to take Shuhei's place as Assistant Captain when he takes T sen's place. You have to come with us." He motioned for me to follow him. "They want you to help us deal with a stray Arrancar."  
I nearly had to jog to keep up with his long stride. "Arrancar? I can't handle something like that..." I started, but he shook his head.  
"Don't make me drag you there," he said. He flipped his perfect black bobbed hair. "I don't want to dirty my uniform, either."  
"You priss," I told him, laughing. "Where exactly are we going? Karakura town?"  
"That's it. Renji, Captian Hitsugaya, Rangiku, and Rukia are already there."  
We rounded the corner toward the Senkaimon. "There's only one captain there?" I asked, confused. "If we're supposed to be dealing with an Arrancar don't you think-"  
"I know. But Captain General didn't want to risk losing any more captains than we already have. Captain Hitsugaya was the only one who volunteered anyway, and Renji is close enough to being captain status that we didn't really feel like we needed another."  
Renji. I silenced suddenly, the thought that I might be working beside him making me lock up. Yumichika laughed. "I forgot. You've been madly in love with Renji for like a hundred years, right?" he snickered. I slapped his shoulder. "Be quiet. He just makes me nervous, that's all," I snapped, but he kept laughing. "You'd better not freak out when we take on the Arrancar."  
We stopped in front of the gate, waiting for the Kid Corp to open it. "I won't. Do we have Hell Butterflies?"  
He nodded as one lit on his eyebrow, making him twitch. "They're hideous up close, you know," he muttered.  
I laughed as we stepped into the gates.

Stepping into the World of the Living felt strange. I had only been a few times, Hollow hunting with my class, and each time it felt different. This time, it felt suffocating. I could feel tension in the air. And a smotheringly strong spiritual pressure seemed to have settled in Karakura town. "Are you sure Captain Hitsugaya is the only captain here?" I asked as Yumichika stepped through the gate behind me. "Remember, this is where Ichigo lives," he answered. "You know, the Ryoka?"  
"Oh. Well. I guess I overreacted."  
He began to lead me toward a row of townhouses, where I assumed they were all staying. I began to wonder how they were paying for it if they were renting it; surely they didn't have any yen. But as we approached, the pressure began to feel stronger. "Is this where he lives?" I asked.  
Yumichika nodded. "His family is crazy. Especially the father. Don't let them bother you. And here. These are some of Isane's clothes." He reached into our shared messenger bag to pull out a shirt, pants, a skirt, and other things that looked human. "I guessed you were the same size."  
"Thanks."  
We reached the house and I began to recognize the different pressures. I could definitely feel Renji's and T shir 's, and possibly Ikkakku's. Yumichika peered inside the door, making sure the family was unaware, and we skittered upstairs, where I could definitely hear Rangiku through one of the doors. I had to admit, Rangiku made me nervous, and I stopped for a moment, tugging at my uniform nervously. My necklace began to itch, which was typical when I was nervous.  
"Come on. You know nobody has a thing for Rangiku except for herself," Yumichika said, raising an eyebrow at me.  
"Speak for yourself," I said sarcastically.  
He opened the door slowly, revealing a roomfull of people to me. The Ryoka was seated on a bed next to Rukia, scowling, and all the others were on the floor. Renji stood up, inspecting us as we came through the door. My heart began to hammer under everyone's stare.  
"Yumichika? You didn't pick up any ugly germs from outside, did you?" asked Ikkakku, obviously teasing. "I think I see your eyes drooping."  
"Silence," Yumichika muttered. "You obviously caught all of them for me."  
The room laughed raucously, and suddenly I felt out of place. These people were all beautiful. Flawless. Especially Yumichika, Renji, and Rangiku. I'd grown used to Yumichika, but Rangiku was a different story. Everyone looked at her. All the time.  
"This is Michiru," Yumichika said to the Ryoka. "She's a student. Play nice."  
The red-haired boy looked me over, smiling slightly. "Ichigo Kurosaki. Nice to meet you," he said politely, which shocked me.  
"Hi," I stammered. "I'm Michiru Kobe."  
Yumichika flopped down rather gracefully beside Ikkakku, so I followed suit, finding the smallest corner of the room the only place I could sit. Captain Hitsugaya spoke up.  
"So, now that we're all here..." he started, standing up. He was much smaller than I expected, but I ignored it. "Let's discuss the obvious problem. We all know how tough it was to deal with the Espadas that showed up last time." I resisted the urge to gasp. Espadas were awful. I shivered, and Renji glanced over at me, slightly concerned. "News is that Aizen is sending a few Arrancars back to try and finish us, but we aren't going to let that happen. Are we?"  
Hitsugaya's voice disappeared from my hearing. Renji smiled at me reassuringly, mouthing "it's ok" to me. I could feel my face turn bright red and I smiled nervously, trying to hide in my robes. As his gaze returned to Hitsugaya, I relaxed, but I felt incredibly shaken. Scared and worried and concerned all at the same time. The conversation slipped back into my hearing.  
"...So I want Yumichika, Ikkakku, and Rangiku at Orihime's house. I will take Ichigo and go toward Urahara Shoten. Rukia, Renji, and Michiru, you wait here for anythhing that might attack Ichigo's family. We know he's part of what the Arrancars are after."  
My heart stopped. I was paired with Renji? I felt incredibly uncomfortable. I had hoped I was going with Ikkakku or Yumichika, especially since they were my friends, but why Renji?  
"Let's go, then," Ikkakku said eagerly, bounding to his feet. The room emptied by teams, and soon I was sitting alone with Rukia and Renji. They both looked at me expectantly, as if I was supposed to whip out my zanpakuto and do a trick. I shifted again. Rukia spoke up first. "Which district are you from?" she asked suddenly.  
"Zaraki," I said quietly. Her eyes widened. "Oh. So you must be training under Captain Zaraki? Which seat are you trying for?"  
"Actually, I've been slated to take Assistant Captain Shuhei's place when he promotes to captain." I didn't want to sound arrogant so I made sure to speak with a certain amount of humbleness. After all, I didn't have a rank yet, and Renji and Rukia both were very influential in the Thirteen Court Guard Companies. They were my superiors.  
"Straight out of the Academy?" asked Renji. I blushed.  
"Yes, sir," I answered. He smiled. "You don't have to call me sir, Michiru. You're about to be my equal, right?"  
"M-maybe!" Rukia spoke up. "Are you being evaluated by how you help us?" she asked.  
I only nodded, knowing that if I spoke my voice would crack. Suddenly, Renji perked up, making me jump. "Kobe! I know you!" he said, pointing at me. I shrank into the corner, expecting the worst. "You were with Captain Kuchiki and I on the Academy trip to Tokyo, weren't you? You were in my group. I graded your first Kons ."  
How did he remember? "Y-yes, I was. And you did. Group three," I stuttered. "Masahiko and Shikoku were my partners."  
He laughed. "Masahiko. Poor guy, I think he was scared of his own shadow. But you! You were definitely top of your class. And I've never seen someone with blue hair." "Does it bother you?" I gasped, immediately trying to pull it back. "I can pull it up-"  
"It's fine," said Rukia quickly. She smiled at me warmly. "Don't let him bother you."  
"And don't listen to her!" Renji said sarcastically, tossing something at her I didn't see. I knew Renji and Rukia were well connected. Which was why I tried not to like him so much. They were obviously much better friends than anyone in the other Companies, and it almost broke my heart. I had no friends but Ikkakku and Yumichika, and it was only because when I'd first entered the Academy I was charged with cleaning the 11th Company barracks. Ikkakku got me into loads of trouble with he and Yumichika.  
For a moment, I was scared that watching Renji and Rukia together would start to hurt me. But Rukia noticed my silence. "Michiru? What's wrong?" she asked. I shifted on the hardwood floor, feeling both their gazes on me. "I'm...not used to being around such recognised people," I blurted. "Recognised?"  
"Well...I mean, you're Lady Rukia, and you're Renji Abarai...two names that everyone in the whole Seireiti know," I mumbled. "Don't feel out of place. And you don't have to call me Lady," she said comfortingly. "I noticed you looked a little shaken when you came in the door."  
"That was because I'm scared of Rangiku," I answered truthfully. Renji laughed.  
"Rangiku is harmless. All boobs. Not much else," he joked. "She drinks a LOT. Mainly with Captain Kyoraku."  
I managed a laugh. "Really? All the guys in Yumichika's company-"  
"I know. At least you have brains," Rukia said. "She's a little...blonde."  
"You don't have to sit in the corner," Renji offered. "You can get on the bed with Rukia or something."  
Carefully, I crawled onto the bed with her, scratching at my necklace. I noticed that one of the loops had broken, leaving the beads dangling down toward my clevage. I picked at it and my necklace came to pieces in my fingers, beads spilling onto the floor and bed. They laughed.  
"You're a jittery one, I'll give you that," said Renji, reaching down to scoop up my beads. "How are you with your Shikai and Bankai?"  
"I have Shikai mastered and I'm very close to achieving Bankai. My zanpakut is very picky," I said, suddenly feeling comfortable. I picked up the beads off the bed slowly. "I can't externalize it yet."  
"So you're very far along for a fresh graduate. That's good to know," he said. He stood up, placing the beads in my hand and closing my fingers around them. I was absolutely sure he felt my hand tremble under his touch, my stomach churning. "I'm glad to see good students graduating from the Academy."  
Rukia looked at him questioningly, and I knew it wasn't a look for me to see. But I caught it. Renji stepped away from me and over to her far side, leaning against the wall as I began to thread my beads back together. They exchanged another look, something that seemed tense, and probably something else I wasn't supposed to see. But I was going to play dumb. I wanted to be friends with both of them, especially if I was going to be fighting beside them soon.  
"Did your mother have this color hair?" asked Rukia, reaching over to touch my hair. Trying to change the subject.  
"My father did," I corrected, tying my necklace back together. "I got the wave from my mother."  
"I think it's lovely. It's turquoise," she continued. "You've never cut it?"  
I could feel her playing with it, probably marvelling at the length. It was long; I sat on it accidentally a lot. "I only cut it once, and I didn't like it. so I just let it go."  
"Renji, yours is almost just as long," she said, and Renji scoffed.  
"My hair is nowhere near as long," he argued. "Look."  
My breath caught in my chest. I'd only seen him with his hair down once, and it was beautiful. I watched helplessly as his deep red hair spilled down to his shoulders, framing his sharp face. He noticed my look, his eyes locking with mine. I snatched my eyes away to my necklace, catching my breath conspicuously. "It's close," Rukia said. "No it isn't! No offense to her, but only women should have superlong hair, I think."  
"What about Captain Ukitake?"  
"He's different-"  
"No he isn't!"  
They were obviously bored, or trying to make light of the situation. They knew that when the Arrancar came there wouldn't be time for joking. I knew it too, but I was trying not to think about it. And trying not to stare as Renji tied his hair back up.  
It silenced for a moment, and I felt as if they were watching me work on my necklace. I nearly jumped when Rukia spoke.  
"Do you think we should do a quick patrol?" she asked, obviously aiming the question at Renji. "I don't feel any changes in the pressures, and I feel everyone is ok. But do you want to just check everything out?"  
"Sure. You stay here and I'll take Michiru around the district," Renji said simply. Rukia almost glared.  
"I meant for all of us to go," she said lowly. "Well, somebody has to stay and look after Isshin and the girls. They like you. Why don't you stay?"  
"Why don't we leave Michiru then?"  
"Because they don't know her, and I think she needs to go out on a patrol. Just to get her used to Karakura."  
"Then we should all go."  
Suddenly, his tone changed. "I won't say it again. I'm asking you as a superior to stay here, Rukia."  
She glared. "Of course."  
Renji motioned for me to follow him. "Change clothes in the bathroom and follow me," he said, opening the door for me. My nerves began to kick into overdrive. He pointed at the bathroom door, so I quickly shuffled in and began to peel out of my uniform.  
Isane's clothes had been tucked into my robe and when I noticed them I realized they weren't what I expected. And I began to question if they were Isane's, or Soi Fon's. Black tanktop. And not a normal one. A black t-shirt that had been snipped and cut down to the shape of a tanktop, the front snipped low to my boobs. It definitely fit well, a little tight, but I had to make do. The pants were skinny fit, ripped in the knees. And what shoes? I left the bathroom, searching for Yumichika's bag. He had forgotten to leave my shoes. Which wasn't a good thing.  
"And you said you didn't like Rangiku? Aren't those her clothes?" asked Renji, who was waiting on me at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Yumichika said these were Isane's-"  
"Yeah, well, it looks nice. No shoes?"  
"He didn't leave them for me. They're still in his bag."  
He snickered. "Figures. Well, come on, we probably don't have much time."


	2. Chapter 2

For the first few minutes of walking, Renji was silent. The night air was cool and comfortable, and even though I was walking barefoot, the sidewalk was smooth. My zanpakuto was slung over my shoulder, bouncing against my back as I walked. His was slung over the opposite shoulder, and he made no noise as we plodded through the night. "Is Rukia angry with me?" I asked as we went along, shoving my hands in my pockets. "No. She probably just wanted out of the house. Which, I don't blame her for, but if we left you there and Isshin found you, I'm not sure what he would think. Although he probably wouldn't care. Rukia is better suited to dealing with Kurosaki's father." He gazed up at the moon as he walked, giving me a gorgeous view of his profile. For a moment I was able to study his tattoos, but I forced myself to watch the sidewalk ahead. "I really hate making her mad though. But, whatever. Hey, how long have you known Ikkakku and Yumichika?" he asked.  
"For a while now. Since I was new in the Academy. They're my best friends," I answered. "I know it's odd for women to befriend people in the 11th Company and all but I think Ikkakku kinda kept me as a pet, to be honest."  
He chuckled. "Probably. He used to talk to me a lot about the newest students. He liked you. Said you had potential." My eyes widened. "Told me you were pretty and extremely headstrong. Even Yumichika was jealous."  
"Yumichika is jealous of me?" I asked incredulously. "I thought he was only jealous of Rangiku and Orihime."  
"Apparently not. What's your class rank right now?"  
"...first, I think," I said bashfully. Was he hitting on me? No. Just being honest. "So you really are Assistant Captain material. As if I should doubt Ikkakku's judgement. I think he should step up to take Aizen's spot myself. He's the only other Assistant Captain who's achieved Bankai beside me. And possibly you, if you can externalize it."  
"I'm not an officer yet, sir," I said quietly.  
He touched my shoulder gently. "I think you'll make it. Don't worry about it so much."  
We rounded the corner, and suddenly I realized that the rest of the sidewalk and road was under construction. It was all gravel and chunks of concrete. And of course, I was tender footed. I searched for a way to avoid it, like maybe a retaining wall I could walk on, but there was nothing for me to walk on. I supressed a whine.  
"No shoes. I forgot," he said, laughing. "Maybe you could have worn Rukia's?"  
"I don't think she would have liked that-"  
He stepped in front of me, stooping a bit. "Here. Hop on my back, I'll walk across." I faltered. "I...I-I weigh a-a lot are you sure?" "Michiru, don't be so nervous. I won't drop you. And there's nothing Rukia can say to you about it anyway." Why was he involving Rukia in this? "Hop on," he ordered again. So I did.  
Carefully, I wrapped my legs around his waist, letting him loop his arms under my legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck, peering around his hair to look ahead. And I nearly fell off his back. Just because I realized I was clinging to Renji Abarai. "Hold on. But don't choke me," he said. I tightened my grip on him slightly.  
He started to walk across the gravel and the motion made my body bob up and down against his back as if this was meant to tease me. I could feel his perfect build through his button-down shirt, and he smelled like fresh oranges and flowers. I could feel my face and neck flush brightly as I settled my head next to his, so I tried to avoid looking at him. Our cheeks brushed together lightly as he walked.  
I struggled to make conversation. "Do you like Captain Kuchiki?" I asked suddenly.  
He sighed. "I do. I really do. He's an amazing Captain and sometimes I regret trying to cut him down like I did during Rukia's execution. But I understand his conduct now," he answered quickly. "Whose Company did you apply for?"  
"Eighth, under Captain Kyoraku. Even though he has Nanao I thought I could be a great third seat. I also applied for second, simply because I like Soi Fon." Wondering if he would notice, I leaned a little farther forward against his shoulders. For a moment, I thought I felt him shift as if he knew what I was doing, but I wasn't sure. "I also thought I might like to take Izuru's place. But I know there hasn't been anyone selected for Ichimaru's spot yet."  
"You should apply for eleventh or sixth," he said. "I'm sure you could take the fourth seat under Ikkakku well or you could be my Adjutant."  
Renji's Adjutant. My mind reeled at the thought. "I'm not sure, at this point," I said as we reached sidewalk again. He sat me down gently, turning to make sure I was stable. I balked at our close proximity, nearly falling backwards. I'm still not sure what happened. I began to fall, reaching out for something to hold onto, so he grabbed my arm. And yet I still stumbled backward, through the gravel, landing flat on my back with Renji not far behind. I expected a hard hit from Renji falling on me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. Until I looked up. He had landed face first in my cleavage, making me nearly scream. How stupid of me. How ridiculous. "Assistant Captain! Sir, I am so sorry!" I rambled, sitting up to help him up. I didn't care that there was dirt and gravel stuck to my back. I had just embarrassed and probably traumatized the Assistant Captain of the Sixth Company. If I had been bleeding from every orafice I wouldn't have cared.  
"It's ok," he said calmly. He brushed himself off quickly. "That wasn't a bad landing."  
He said it so cooly that I was wondering if he meant it. "Are you ok?' "Fine. You, on the other hand, are bleeding. Come here."  
I hadn't felt a stab or scratch, but when he reached up to wipe the side of my neck clean, I felt an intense burn. And not the romantic kind. His expression darkened. "Michiru, you're bleeding a lot. What did you land on?"  
I looked down, my eyes immediately going to a broken bottle. "That, I guess," I said. "A few more inches and that might have gone through the back of my neck."  
"It almost did. Let's head back and get you patched up...I don't want you to get that infected or anything."  
I touched the scratch, wondering how bad it was. I had learned a kid to fix shallow wounds, so I murmured it to myself, feeling it close up slowly with only a slight twinge of pain. Renji heard me muttering to myself.  
"Did you ask me something?" he questioned. "No, I just used a kid . Nothing big," I said, and then realized how arrogant I sounded. "I mean...it's not really a big deal because I fixed my scratch and-"  
"You fixed it?"  
I nodded slowly.  
"Like really healed it over?" he asked again. "Let me see."  
He yanked my head over, studying my neck. I could only stand there, slightly in pain from his grip in my hair, until he had inspected it thoroughly.  
"You did. Where did you learn that? That's Fourth Company stuff," he said, releasing me. "Like, first and second chair Fourth Company stuff."  
"I watched Isane one time, and that's all. I looked it up and taught myself," I answered. He gawked at me.  
"You just watched her?"  
"Well, I had to look it up and read about it..."  
He laughed, turning to walk farther down the street. "I can't believe this. I've been outclassed by a student!" I almost felt insulted, until I felt his tone. He was joking. And I had never seen him so lighthearted. He laughed and told me all sorts of problems he'd had trying to learn kid in the Academy, and how Rukia had always outdone him there. Normally one of the most serious and determined of all the officers, he was joking with me and telling me all sorts of silly things about living outside the Seireiti. I wasn't entirely sure what to think. Or how to react to him.  
When I stayed silent, he noticed. "Something bothering you?" he asked.  
I listened to our feet against the concrete for a moment, contemplating my answer. "No. I'm just listening," I said slowly.  
"I like that. You're going to have a great evaluation. And something tells me that-"  
We both felt it. There was an immense change in pressure, somewhere, and it was strong. We stopped dead in our tracks. And I knew exactly what it was and where; the pressure washed over me like a humid breeze and it scared me.  
"Espada. In the park, just around the corner," I said, spitting it out like a robot before I could stop myself.  
Renji looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"  
I fished in my pocket for the Soul Candy that Yumichika had given me. "Absolutely."

Zabimaru drawn, Renji scouted the park. We both felt that the Espada was there, and I was furiously trying to let Rukia and the others know where we were. I stood watch at the entrance to the park, perched on top of the tallest statue. I could feel Captain Hitsugaya and Ichigo approaching quickly, which was slightly comforting. But I couldn't pick up on Yumichika, which worried me terribly.  
I assumed he was too far away and bounded down to meet Hitsugaya.  
Ichigo was the first to reach me. "Is it Grimmjow? Do you know?" he asked breathlessly. "Do you know what number?"  
I shook my head. "I have no clue. But Renji and I both know that it's a high ranking Espada. And the world rift is still open." I pointed to the rigid hole in the sky. "So that must mean there's more, right?"  
Hitsugaya finally reached me, eyes narrowed. "It's very possible. Which is bad. I can't find our other group. Matsumoto is gone," he said. "I need to go back and find them."  
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" I asked.  
"I'll be fine. You and Ichigo help Renji."  
We nodded and started into the park as Hitsugaya disappeared. I immediately focused on Renji's energy, bounding left and right over the ornamental hedges. Ichigo kept pace easily. He surprised me really, mainly because I wasn't sure if he was a real Soul Reaper or not and his Zangetsu was ridiculously huge. I wondered why the Soul Society hadn't asked him to stay.  
"Who is Grimmjow?" I asked him, incredibly curious.  
His trademark scowl only deepened. "He's a jerk, I'll tell you that," he answered. "I took his arm off. But he ran like a coward."  
His tone told me not to ask anymore, so I silenced until we found Renji. Rukia had already located him and was following him closely. "That's not surprising," Ichigo growled. "I can't seem to separate them for two seconds."  
Yet again, I didn't ask anything. I lit next to Renji and Ichigo next to Rukia as they neared the park fountain. "It should be right here..." Rukia said quietly. I glanced around, knowing that spotting an Espada shouldn't be this difficult. But none of us could see it and it began to wear on our nerves. To be honest, I was scared. Terribly nervous. This could be my promotion or it could be my end.  
Something white caught my eye, over to our left, but it wasn't moving much. I stopped to look and Renji immediately stopped with me. "I think you found it," he said. "It's that Wonderweiss thing..."  
Ichigo groaned. "Him? Really?"  
As "Wonderweiss" came into focus, I realised what they were complaining about. He was hunched over on his knees, scurrying like an animal after a cricket on the ground. As soon as he caught it he picked it up by the antennae, marveling at it, until he popped it into his snaggle-toothed mouth and continued his search for another snack. "Michiru? Would you like to have a go?" Renji asked. "He's stronger than he looks, but you're welcome to do whatever you like. Just keep an eye on his movements."  
I nodded, drawing my zanpakuto. Rukia made a noise, a confused noise, as I drew it slowly not to scare off the strange Espada. When I looked back at her, her hand was on the hilt of her zanpakuto, as if she was jealous that mine was completely white like hers. But I ignored it.  
When I got close enough to Wonderweiss, I whistled at him. He answered like a puppy, cocking his head sideways, staring at me with ridiculously huge eyes. "Who?" he gasped. He made a movement toward me, but I didn't back away, I simply put the tip of my zanpakuto against his forehead. He stopped. He looked up at me, his eyes narrowing. I guessed he was about to try something stupid. And he did. He lept at me, squealing like some ungodly demon, so I did the first thing that came to mind; I ran my sword through his chest.  
I thought I had killed him. He stumbled back and fell, clutching at his chest, and I took the chance. I pounced and attempted to pin him, but something went terribly wrong. I wasn't entirely sure what happened.  
My vision whited out. I could hear Renji and Ichigo yelling, something thudding, and felt that I was being squeezed. I struggled, but my arms were pinned to my sides and I couldn't move anything but my feet. So I kicked. I was mad. So mad. I'd made a stupid mistake, and I felt like tearing Wonderweiss apart starting with his head. It didn't help that I had no clue where I was at or why I couldn't see- it felt like I was wrapped in some kind of fleshy sack, being smothered. But I wasn't going to let that happen.  
I called out a kid . One that I knew would make him let go. Number 52, a fire kid , burned through the white sack around me, making Wonderweiss squeal and drop me instantly. And I was back in action, zanpakuto in hand, trying to figure out the situation.  
Renji had already called Bankai, but there was something wrong. Wonderweiss was bubbling. It was his body I'd burned, and that was what I assumed had trapped me. He squealed and screamed, thrashing at Renji wildly. Ichigo took a step back to lunge. Wonderweiss's head ripped around and his elastic body whiplashed around Ichigo, squeezing him tightly and making him drop Zangetsu. Rukia sprang into action, knocking me out of the way to get to Ichigo as I moved to help him. I ran to Renji's side as she freed Ichigo with another kid .  
"Are you ok?" he asked, Wonderweiss turning toward us. "Pretty great, just a little angry," I said, watching the elastic limbs carefully. "As long as-"  
Wonderweiss swept his good arm at us and I managed to flashstep and avoid it. But as my feet touched ground again, I realised Renji was gone. Wonderweiss had him. I lept to save him, ready to cut the entire limb off, until I felt something hard connect with my forehead and I fell backwards. Rukia was above me, attempting to hack and slash her way through it with just her plain Zanpakuto. No shikai, no nothing. Ichigo was screaming at her from elsewhere, trying to get her to listen, that she needed to let me do it. She ignored him.  
Stunned, I struggled to my feet, realising that Wonderweiss was expanding. His body flattened and stretched, forming a cavernous hole in his middle. I knew what he was trying to do with Renji.  
Wonderweiss ate Soul Reapers.  
I lunged toward Wonderweiss, toward the hole in his center, and slashed as hard as I could. I managed to separate his upper torso from his lower by cutting the two sides of the hole apart and he fell, dropping Renji. I didn't stop.  
Kicking his remaining feet out of the way, I threw myself into a two-hand slash, cutting him in two from head to center. And I didn't think twice about it. Sparks flew as the blade of my zanpakuto hit the concrete under him, telling me that I had made a clean cut. He didn't make another noise. I kicked the pieces away, making sure that he wasn't going to suddenly regenerate out of the severed limbs. He didn't so much as twitch, so I turned my attention to Renji and Rukia. Renji was obviously angry, but not at me.  
He was mad at Rukia.  
As the pieces of Wonderweiss faded into reishi, Ichigo and I sheathed our zanpakutos, rushing over to help Renji up. He was ok, it turned out, just sore and apparently very, very angry. He didn't speak to Rukia at all, and when she reached out to touch his shoulder, he shrugged it off and began to walk off.  
"We're done here," he said simply, his Bankai fading out and Zabimaru returning to normal. I began to follow Ichigo, confused, but satisfied that I had killed Wonderweiss. It was a short battle and I was proud of myself. This was going to get extra points in my evaluation. Rukia fell into step behind me, her head low. I glanced back at her and she looked up at me, her eyes remorseful. She saw the mark she'd left on my forehead, and the blood that was dripping down over my eye. The wound was too deep for me to kid myself.  
She sighed and I continued walking, dreading going back to Ichigo's room. It wouldn't be a quiet night. 


	3. Chapter 3

"You could have gotten ALL THREE OF US KILLED!"  
Rukia cringed. I tried not to squeak as Yumichika patched up the gash on my left brow bone, listening to Renji's tyrade on Rukia's actions. I knew he had a temper, and Rukia had set it off. On about six levels. "Do you realise what you did? And if this is her evaluation, surely someone was watching! You'll be lucky not to get demoted! That was ridiculous, Rukia. And stupid. Stupid."  
"I didn't think she could-"  
"YOU DIDN'T THINK AT ALL."  
The room silenced. Yumichika dabbed at my cut gently, reaching up to stick a small healing bandage over it. "There. Now just give it a day or two," he said lowly, so as not to stir up the fight again.  
Sniffling, Rukia left, slamming the door on her way out. Renji stared blankly for a moment. He blinked once, looking over at me, then realised that we were all watching him. He sighed. "Nobody heard that," he growled. "None of you."  
We all nodded. I stood to check myself out, wondering if I had any other marks or scratches from when Wonderweiss caught me. There was only one, on my forearm, that was easily kid ed away. I could feel stares on my back now and I turned, finding Rangiku and Hitsugaya looking at me with wide eyes.  
"You cleaved Wonderweiss in half?" Hitsugaya asked.  
"Yes, sir." I said it confidently, hoping to impress him.  
"And didn't even use Bankai?"  
"I haven't mastered it completely yet, sir."  
He glanced at Rangiku, then silenced. I began to feel as if I did something wrong. Even though I knew what I did ended the fight quickly and effectively, it felt like I hadn't done it how they wanted. They wanted to see some sort of massive Bankai and Shikai, and I didn't show them. In fact, the only thing I showed them was that my zanpakuto was really, really sharp. If they were disappointed in me, I wasn't surprised.  
"Michiru. Come with me," snipped Renji. I wasn't sure if the venom in his voice was for me or leftovers from Rukia, but I followed him obediently. "Where to, sir?" I asked, but he silenced me.  
"Just come with me."  
And so I did. I followed him down the stairs, past Ichigo's unsuspecting family, and out into the near-dawn air. We plodded along silently until we came back to the park, where he flopped down onto a bench. He sighed heavily.  
I stood in front of him nervously, digging my toes into the dirt. He motioned for me to sit next to him and I obeyed immediately. "Michiru, you really did great today," he said quietly, his eyes closed as if to relax. "You're going to make a great officer."  
I blushed, tugging at a thread on my jeans nervously. "Thank you, sir," I murmured.  
"But. There is no excuse for what happened with Rukia."  
For a moment, I thought I was about to be in massive trouble. Even though I knew the situation wasn't my fault.  
"Her actions were thoughtless and stupid, and I'm sorry you got hurt over something to petty," he continued, rubbing his forehead. "This isn't something she normally does...at all. I've never known her to do something so...selfish. Or violent."  
"I would never hold it against her."  
"I know. I just want you to understand that this will never happen again. Ever."  
"Did she mean it? Did she want to hit me?" I asked, trying to sound timid, even though I was angry beyond belief. "That's all I want to know."  
"Do you want me to tell you the truth?"  
I nodded.  
"I think she did. Because I think she's jealous of you," he snipped. "I think she's jealous that you have the attention of most of the Seireiti right now, and it's not on her. She can deny it all she wants but she likes the fame of being a Kuchiki. And then you come along, and you're this intelligent, serene person and everyone likes you. You're good at everything you try and you outshine most of the other females in looks. She's jealous, and that's all there is to it."  
My heart stuck in my throat. I wasn't sure how to react-I was getting praise from one of the most well-recognized officers in the Soul Society, and on top of that, he was claiming that there were people actually jealous of me. It almost scared me. Was he proud of me? Would he recommend me for placement?  
"What do I do?" "Just do whatever you've been doing. You'll probably get asked to take your officer exam soon and then there's nothing anyone can do or say."  
I gritted my teeth as my forehead began to throb painfully. It twanged like a stab wound but throbbed like a punch, something I wasn't appreciative of. The healing salve obviously wasn't doing its job, either.  
"Let me see that," he said, reaching up to my forehead.  
Instinctively, I flinched away, but his hand was gentle.  
"I won't hurt you, Michiru. Let me look." He brushed my hair behind my ear and away from my forehead, making me bite my lip to keep a calm appearance. "She really whacked you. I understand why it hurts," he said as he peered under the bandage. "It's not pleasant, I'll put it that way," I said, but his fingers were suddenly under my chin. Carefully but sternly, he tilted my chin up to make me look at him. His expression was serious and his fingers gripped my chin tightly. "Tell me something," he started.  
"Anything, sir," I stuttered, confused. He stayed silent for a moment, contemplating. His eyes bored into my face for what seemed like forever. "You. You're in love with me."  
I gasped and he let go of me, still staring at me. Stunned, I couldn't say anything, and I struggled to resist the urge to get up and run. He scared me. I didn't want to ruin what I'd worked so hard on by admitting to it, and I was sure that if I told him he'd have me thrown out of the Academy. "You have been since I started helping your class," he continued. "Why?"  
"Wh-why what?" I choked.  
"Tell me why you think you love me. I've only met you a few times."  
This time I was definitely stunned. I knew I looked like an idiot, sitting there with my mouth hanging open, but he didn't seem to care. I struggled for thoughts. "I...I think that...you're a v-very talented Assistan C-captain. A-and that you're very st-strong..."  
"Is that it?"  
"S-sir I don't think this is-"  
"Michiru. Is that it?" he said sternly.  
I shook my head, being honest. He stared, almost glaring at me, until I nearly sniffled. "I didn't want to be thrown out of class. I know it's wrong," I choked. He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Now why do you say that?" he asked, seeming a little less tense. "Because I know what happened to Haru and Anjin. I know they got sent back to the Rukongai." "But they were two students."  
"Does it matter?" "Yes, it does." He shifted, and for a moment I felt that he was nervous. "Student relationships can be disruptive. Captains and teachers are always separated from the students so there's no interaction between them. Therefore...no chance for relationships other than moderate friendship. But-"  
"But what?"  
He took a deep breath. "Knowing this, you can't be in our company. But that's it. No big deal. I had you figured out, y'know."  
I almost felt shallow. Superficial. He was so intelligent that I felt incompetent, even stupid. Ridiculously blind to the fact that he knew nearly everything about me. "It's ok. I want to be an Assisstant," I said quietly. "I'm not picky about companies."  
"You sure?"  
I nodded.  
He thought for a moment, tucking a stray hair back into his ponytail. "Are you old enough to remember Kaien Shiba?" he asked. "Or have you at least heard of him?"  
"I remember him, actually. He used to hike in the mountains near Zaraki." Which was true. Kaien visited the people of the Rukongai often, sometimes with his wife. I had seen them numerous times and even talked to him once. He dropped off candy to the children of our district and brought clothes and food to some of the older residents. "He was married, wasn't he? To the third seat of...um..."  
"She was the third seat of the Eighth Company. What I'm trying to say is, it's not uncommon for things like this to happen. And it's not a death sentence, either. I'm sure you'll find someone you like and..."  
He trailed off. A disturbing silence settled over us, and suddenly I felt as if I'd done something very, very wrong. Had I offended him? Or was he ashamed of me?  
He looked up at me, his eyes suddenly dark. "Michiru," he said, but it was clipped. "Sir?" I squirmed. Something was wrong.  
"Don't fall in love with me."  
With that, he stood up, straightening his clothes and walking off briskly. 


	4. Chapter 4

I waited for a while before I decided to go back to the house. Yumichika and Ikkaku were probably searching for me anyway, but I wasn't sure if I could even bear to look at Renji. Or Rukia, for that matter. I wanted to leave, but if I did, there would be no chance of getting a decent evaluation.  
The house was dark except for Ichigo's room. I tiptoed up the stairs, hoping to hear someone talking, but all was silent. I could only feel three sources of pressure inside the room; Ichigo's, Rukia's, and one of his sister's. I paused at the door, wondering if I was supposed to be here. The door cracked and Rukia's head peered around the corner. "Go to Orihime Inoue's," she snipped. "You'll stay there overnight."  
"Oh...Um, thanks," I muttered, turning to go back down the stairs. I could feel her eyes watch me as I went, but I stopped. "Who is Orihime?"  
"Two blocks down. Next to the park. You'll sense Rangiku."  
The door shut tightly, and I plodded down the stairs. Of course I have to stay with Rangiku. Always. If this Orihime girl was anything like her, I was going to Kons myself. I wondered if Renji or T shir had done this on purpose, or maybe if it was Yumichika's sick way of teasing me.  
It didn't matter either way. I wandered my way down the street slowly, wondering who was watching me. There was obviously someone monitoring me if I was being evaluated, but who, I wasn't sure. It was most likely a squad in the Second Company, watching me from the shadows.  
This didn't unnerve me. If I was doing something wrong, they would've snatched me up before I could've even thought about it. So I must have been doing something right. And killing Wonderweiss had to give me extra points somehow-I mean, I virtually did that all by myself. I hacked him right down the center.  
But if I was already irritating people, then I would definitely get a bad rap. A very bad rap. I had to be likable to be even a seat in a company. I had to be able to work with anyone and everyone, and not cause any problems within the company. I began to wonder if I was trying too hard. If I was too worried about being likable. But then again, if I stopped trying, it was possible that I would just piss everyone off.  
As I made the second block, I began to tune in on Rangiku. Orihime apparently lived in an apartment, and not a nice one. It was a little junked out, but I could understand. She probably didn't have much. I'd been told that she didn't have any family and that she was incredibly attached to Ichigo.  
I made my way up the stairs slowly. Would she like me? What did she look like? Everyone had told me about the beautiful Ryoka girl at least once. I didn't know if I could deal with both Orihime and Rangiku if she was as attractive as everyone made her out to be. Before I could reach the door, Rangiku opened it. "Hi! You're staying with us, right?" She reached out and snagged me by the wrist, dragging me into the apartment. "Orihime! Michiru's here!" she called, dropping me in the floor next to the only piece of furniture in the living room; a coffee table.  
Orihime peeked around the corner of the hallway. "Make her comfortable! I'll be there in a minute," she said. She looked pretty, yes, but I thought she looked a little like me. I didn't feel uncomfortable. Yet.  
"You look tired!" Rangiku squealed, as if this was something she'd never seen before. "You can sleep in my bed. I don't mind."  
I squirmed. "Um... I was just going to sleep on the floor-"  
"No, that just won't do." She began to ramble for a momet, and I zoned out.  
My heart hurt. I hadn't realized it, but it really did hurt. The conversation I'd just had with Renji was beginning to sink in, and I began to come to terms with the fact that I had ruined a relationship with a commanding officer. I would never feel comfortable with him again. Rangiku's babbling stopped. "Hey. What's bothering you?" she asked. Shocked, I couldn't bring myself to speak. I hadn't expected Rangiku to notice. "Just thinking," I clipped, shaking my head.  
She propped her elbow up on the coffee table, leaning her head on her fist. "You're that chick that likes Renji. Did he say something mean to you? He can be such a stubborn block head sometimes, y'know..."  
"He didn't do anything. And yes...that's me." Did everyone know about this? "How do you know?"  
"Ikkaku told me. He said not to bother you about it, but I wanna know." She shifted, as if she thought she had to bribe me into telling her by looking attractive. "I want to help. If I can," she said, and her voice was serious.  
I stared blankly. "You want to help me?"  
"Of course. Girl-to-girl type thing. After all, if you promote, you'll be my equal. So, I wanna be friends."  
"Okay...well, what do you want to know?" I asked. Her blue eyes were deeper than I expected and I felt wrong for judging her. I could feel now that she was intelligent, but I wondered if she realy was trying to be friends or if she was being conniving.  
"What did he say to you? He knows. And I know that's why he wanted to walk with you."  
I tugged at the hem of my shirt nervously.  
"C'mon. You can tell me." She nudged me. "I don't want you to be miserable the whole time you're here."  
I sighed. She either wanted good gossip or she was really concerned about me. Either way, it helped to have someone to talk to. "Ok...well, he just doesn't really want me around. He was nice about it but honestly I think I bother him..."  
She scooted around to my back, scooping up handfulls of my hair. "Now that sounds a little harsh. Are you sure that's what he meant?" she asked. I could feel her separating my hair out, combing through it with her fingers. "I just don't see Renji being that insensitive. And besides, you haven't really bugged him about it. It's not like you hit on him or anything, right?"  
"I didn't do anything like that. It's just...it's hard for me to deal with people to begin with, and when it's someone like him... I just freeze up. I can't speak."  
She began to braid my hair slowly, pulling into tight plaits. "That's understandable. You can't be scared of everybody, sweetie. If you are and you get promoted, everyone will run you over. Which is a great way to lose your position."  
"I know. I never expected to be what I am. I really didn't."  
"And what is that?"  
"...I didn't think I would be the top of my class. I didn't think I would ever be here, with you guys. It scares me, honestly."  
She laughed. "Well, neither did I. But don't be scared of it. Embrace it. You have a lot of influence already, Michiru. Don't run away from it." She tugged at my hair continuously, humming quietly to herself. "I think it just takes getting used to. But, well..."  
"Renji doesn't help things, does he? Tell me what happened."  
Her braiding was relaxing. I tried to settle, to get comfortable, and she helped immensely. "He knew. He tried to be nice. And I was too...I guess annoying. I feel like I was getting in the way. And I think that's what irritated him."  
"He's not irritated, honey. He probably just doesn't know what to do with you. You probably intimidate him, in a way."  
That was a shocker. "How do you figure this?"  
"It's not every day that he gets to meet a hot girl that just might be stronger than him."  
"But I'm not-"  
She clamped a hand over my mouth. "Don't say it. Ever since you came into the Seireiti, my rep has been dwindling. You, little girl, are a sight to be held. Now, I'm not jealous or anything, but, you definitely have sway over the male population." She chuckled. "I'd hate for you to get stuck in the 11th Company."  
"I used to clean their barracks."  
"Oh yeah. Yumi told me. Well. Obviously Renji is just intimidated. And maybe this isn't something you should persue anyway, but really, I think he just doesn't know what to say."  
Orihime appeared again, sitting gracefully at the coffee table. "Do you want a bow?" she asked Rangiku, who was nearly done with my hair. "I have purple."  
Before I could protest, Rangiku agreed, and Orihime scrambled off for a bow. "Anyway. I think you should talk to him about everything. And talk to Rukia. I heard what she did to you. I think it would help a lot if you went and forgave her."  
"Why do you think that?"  
"Because. Rukia and Renji have been best friends since who knows when. She was probably jealous that you were better than her and just wanted Renji's attention back. Cuz, let's face it, you really had him hooked. He was fascinated."  
I shook my head. "I think he was just trying to be friendly."  
"Michiru, we're gonna have to get you some confidence."  
She was serious. And somehow, Rangiku being serious was scarier than her being goofy. Because she was WAAAAY more determined.  
Orihime came back with a purple ribbon, sitting down with Rangiku to tie my hair. "You have such pretty hair, Ms. Michiru," she said politely. "I wish mine was that color."  
"Really? It's really ostentatious," I told her. They both laughed.  
"It's perfect on you, Michiru," said Rangiku. "Really. You'd look funny with any other color."  
"I guess..."  
Orihime and Rangiku babbled for a minute, pointing out things about my hair and wondering how they should style their hair. I pulled the braid over my shoulder, trying to free it of the collar of my shihakusho, when Rangiku noticed I wasn't out of my uniform yet.  
"You don't have any clothes?"  
It clicked as she said it. "I must've left them somewhere," I muttered, checking my pockets. "I had some..."  
Orihime looked incredibly confused. "But you're wearing clothes."  
"Human clothes, silly girl," Rangiku corrected her, scruffing her hair. "You are just too darn cute. Come on, Michiru, we'll find something in her closet."  
She snatched me up, Orihime leading me toward what I assumed was her room.  
There was absolutely nothing in her room except a small cot and a rug. The wall was cracked over the cot and there were marks in the ceiling that I guess was where rain leaked through. It was barren and nowhere near what a comfortable bedroom should've been, and Orihime didn't seem to mind. She threw her closet doors open as if they were the portal to a luxury botique.  
"Do you like dresses? I have lots of dresses and skirts. Or jeans, or maybe shorts-" she started, Rangiku diving into the closet.  
"Let's put her in jeans! She doesn't look like a skirt person!" Rangiku said, digging through the rows of clothes. "Do you have any skinny jeans?"  
"I think so. Over here."  
I watched for a moment, feeling a little like a dress up doll. Despite the situation, the confusion, the war...despite everything that was wrong at this particular point in time, they weren't bothered. They were happy. In their own little world, enjoying it while they could. I envied them. They held out an outfit for me. "What do you think of this?" asked Orihime. "I think it's pretty!"  
And it was. A black button up shirt, with half sleeves, and white skinny jeans. "I like it. Do you have a shirt to go under it?" I asked, noticing that the shirt wasn't meant to button all the way to the top. Orihime blanked. "Um...no. I haven't ever worn this shirt," she said quietly.  
"What's wrong with a little cleavage? Wear it anyway!" Rangiku squealed. "I'll get some jewelry!"  
She tossed the outfit at me, scurrying off into the hallway. Orihime stood there, looking blissfully naive. "Aren't you going to change?" she asked.  
I squirmed. "Not here..."  
"Oh! I'll turn around!" she chirped, turning her back to me and covering her eyes. I rolled my eyes, laughing at her. So incredibly innocent.  
Hoping that Rangiku would take a while, I slid out of my shihakusho, letting the black fabric pool in the floor around my feet. It felt wrong, and I worried that Rangiku would come in and see my tattoos. They weren't meant for anyone to see. They were hideous, covering my thighs and hips and stomach and even up my back. Tribal tattoos, from my days in Zaraki. They were almost like Renji's, but mroe feminine.  
I began to slide on the jeans, finding that they fit mysteriously snug, and Rangiku burst into the room. "Here. Put this necklace-"  
She silenced. Orihime turned around, concerned that something was wrong. She gasped, covering her mouth bashfully. "Sorry! I'm sorry, I'll go-"  
"It's ok," I said, supressing a groan. I slid my arms into the shirt. "If you have questions, ask them now."  
Rangiku strutted over to me, hands on her hips. "Did you get those because of him?"  
"No. I didn't. It's a long, long story."  
She studied my face while Orihime tried to piece it together. "Because of who?" she asked, peering over my shoulder. Rangiku never broke eye contact with me.  
"Did you get them in Zaraki? With the Suzume gang?"  
I nodded. Orihime nudged me. "What are you talking about?" she whined, puzzled. "Don't even think about judging me for it. It's something I'm not proud of and that I really don't want to talk about," I snipped.  
Rangiku stared for a moment, murmuring to Orihime that it was nothing to worry about. Orihime took a step back, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, looking like a scolded puppy. I stood my ground against Rangiku and waited for her to say something.  
Suddenly, she broke into the familiar goofy smile, handing me the jewelry. "Well. As long as it's something long gone, I won't worry about it!" she said. I was skeptical. I knew Rangiku was typically pretty understanding, or at least she didn't care, but this seemed a little too accepting. But I played along, hooking the necklace she gave me around my neck.  
It matched the one I had on already, silver and blue, and it hung low over my chest. Something else to distract people away from my face. She seemed happy with it, so I didn't object. Orihime was just as pleased and questioned if I wanted anything to eat.  
After a quick snack, they curled up for bed. I found it odd that they slept back-to-back in Orihime's small cot, but I didn't bother them. I couldn't sleep anyway. There were too many things on my mind. I wandered through the apartment for hours, soaking up the blue-white moonlight. I wondered who was looking at the moon with me. 


	5. Chapter 5

*RENJI*

I settled into my cot, wondering if Tessai was ever going to leave. He stood vigilant in the corner, his glasses glinting, as if he was waiting on my command. I wanted to sleep and he was making me incredibly nervous. "Tessai?" I asked. He didn't move.  
"Yes?" he answered. I wasn't sure if I even saw his mouth move.  
"Go away?"  
His moustache twitched, and he disappeared. Problem solved.  
I rolled over restlessly, staring out the window. The moonlight was soft, light blue, filtering in and reflecting off Zabimaru's blade. What was I going to do if another Espada showed up? What if Rukia pulled something else like hitting Michiru?  
That was considered an offense against another officer, and Rukia had already been the center of a lot of trouble. She didn't need to be in a mess like that again. In fact, she didn't need to be in a mess, period. I wasn't going to save her this time.  
I reached over to my goggles, making sure the live feed was turned off for the night. The Research Department didn't need to watch me sleep. I wondered how they were evaluating Michiru by what they had seen. Or if they were evaluating me.  
If they were evaluating me, I was probably in trouble, too. I handled the Wonderweiss situation poorly. If Grimmjow and Shawlong were to come back, I wasn't sure what I would do. It wasn't a question of my strength, it was a question of my planning. Poor planning.  
I was disappointed in myself. And what had I done to Michiru?  
Had I been too harsh to her? No, I told myself. I did the right thing. She had better things to do than worry about me, and I didn't want her to fall behind because of me. She was too talented to let anything or anyone stand in her way. Was I really that much of a distraction, though?  
I was an Asisstant Captain, and a rather handsomeone at that. But really. What was it that she found so appealing? She was rather attractive herself, but I didn't want to get twisted up in something like that. I didn't want the emotional attachment. The baggage associated with having a lover.  
Lover.  
The word brought my mind to a halt, and I struggled to make myself think. What was a lover? What constituted love, or loving someone? I hadn't really ever given it thought. Captain Kuchiki had a wife, and so did Kaien Shiba. When I thought of Shiba, I realised why I had shrugged off the possiblilty of a mate. When Shiba's wife was killed, it ultimately led to his demise. He couldn't let the Hollow go, and it killed him.  
I didn't want that emotional entrapment of losing a loved one.  
But Michiru. She was so beautiful, so innocent. But determined, and in her own way, confident. She was talented, and highly intelligent. I forced myself to not think of her, to ignore her. But I couldn't. I couldn't forget her, no matter how hard I tried. She was definitely something special to the Soul Society, but I couldn't understand why she was so distracting. What was it about her that caught my attention? I didn't know, and at this point, I didn't care. I dragged the sheets over my head, hoping that maybe in the morning she would be gone.

I couldn't be so lucky. Kisuke woke me, shoving my shoulder with his sandals. "Abarai! Up! Hitsugaya is calling a meeting. Up!" he shouted, forcing me to sit up. "C'mon. Now."  
I swatted at him. "What does he want?" I asked sleepily, reaching for my robe.  
"Emergency. He says Yamamoto contacted him early this morning, something about Aizen and his plan. C'mon downstairs."  
He disappeared, so I threw on my robe, not bothering with anything else. Aizen had most likely let information leak just so we'd be up in arms; we were comical to him, and less of a challenge than a bump in the road. But threats weren't taken lightly, and whatever information Hitsugaya had was more than likely very important.  
The underground room was silent. I noticed that Akon was standing by Hitsugaya, clutching a clip board, pointing to things that seemed to be important. Hitsugaya's face was blank. Shocked. And Akon seemed even more concerned than usual. Hitsugaya noticed me enter, shaking his head. "This is not good, Abarai," he began. "We need support."  
"Why? What's going on?" I asked, concerned. Hitsugaya worried was not a good sign.  
"The Department of Research and Development has documented a change in the Hueco Mundo. Things are moving. Changing." He motioned for Akon to hand him the clip board.  
"Changing how...?"  
He moved to my side, pointing at a chart. "The number of Espadas has doubled. See the change in the levels?"  
The graph looked awful. It dipped only once, then the line shot to the near top. "But there were only ten. What happened?" "I don't know. Neither does Research."  
For the first time in such a long, long time, I was scared. Honestly afraid of what these Espadas could do. There were only 10 Captains left, and Momo and Izuru were in no condition to fight. Yachiru was virtually useless because of her size, and Ukitake was getting to sick to help. What in the world could we do?  
Rukia and Ichigo were close behind me, Rukia immediately coming to my side to peer at the clip board. "What is it?" she asked, Ichigo looking over my shoulder.  
"Espadas multiplying is what it is," I muttered.  
"By how many?"  
"Doubling."  
She gasped. I didn't blame her- this was beyond shocking. Rangiku, Orihime, and Michiru finally came in, Orihime still in pajamas. Rangiku nearly ran to Hitsugaya's side. The room fell silent except for their frantic murmuring.  
Then, true silence. Not one of us knew what to say, or how to respond. Even Hitsugaya was nervous. He shifted uneasily, his eyes darting from face to face. But there was one presence in the room that was calm.  
Michiru was silent, contemplating, staring over my shoulder at the chart. I offered her the chart, and she studied it for a moment as if she could come up with the solution.  
"We should go back. Gather help," Hitsugaya started. "There's no way, if he was to-"  
"No." Michiru said it calmly. "That's probably what Aizen wants us to do, if you really think about it."  
Hitsugaya rounded on her. "Don't question me," he snapped, glaring up at her. "Do you think I don't know this?"  
"Do you want to make the predictable move, Captain? Do you want to help him set the trap?" she asked frantically. "Captain, please."  
"Do. Not. Assume that-"  
I suddenly felt defensive. Angry, even. I snagged Hitsugaya by his shihakusho, yanking him out of Michiru's face. "Let her talk, Captain," I growled. His eyes narrowed. "Watch your place, Abarai," he muttered. I nodded to Michiru to continue, and she squirmed. Scared. "He... Aizen probably expects us to go straight back to the Seireiti for help. Which puts every officer and captain directly in his path. It would be too convenient. Too easy for him to just drop all twenty Espadas and let them go wild. Not to mention how many Arrancars there already are, and how difficult they are to handle in groups. All of us in one place would be dangerous, and I think that if we need reinforcements then we need to spread them out evenly. That way Aizen will be less likely to send them all at once, and we can handle them in small numbers."  
"What if he sends them all at once anyway? Did you consider that being divided could really be a dangerous option?" Hitsugaya complained. "I fail to see your logic, student. And remember, you're still a student, and you have no place in the Seireiti's plans."  
She sighed, looking to Rangiku for a suggestion. Rangiku shrugged. She was obviously just as angry at Hitsugaya as I was, and she glared at him darkly.  
"What's got you so jealous, Hitsugaya?" Ichigo asked. "Seriously. What did she do but make a suggestion? A good one at that. And personally, I think you'd better listen, because this is the "student" that saved mine and Abarai's asses out there. And maybe you weren't there to see it but I don't care." Hitsugaya turned on him, his jaw clenched in anger. "If she's as good of a fighter as I think she is, you'd better start treating her as an equal, because I think she's going straight to a captain's slot."  
Ichigo stood his ground, hand on Zabimaru's hilt, glaring down at Hitsugaya. For a moment, the tension was suffocating. Hitsugaya was cornered and he knew it. He had no more logic to use and even if he did, everyone was on Michiru's side.  
"Fine. We stay here," he growled. "But at the first sign of anything we can't handle, we're heading back. Immediately."  
But then, I noticed something. There weren't enough of us here. "Where's Ikkakku and Yumichika?" I asked. "They're patrolling. Said they didn't need to come," Rangiku said. "Which sounds normal."  
"Go back to your...positions, people," he ordered. "We're awaiting orders from Yamamoto."  
Ichigo and Rukia were already gone. I turned, ready to leave, when Rangiku pulled me to the side. "I think you owe Michiru a thank you and an apology," she said quietly. "You were a little harsh with her."  
"I wasn't, Rangiku, and I'll decide that," I said, shrugging her off. "She has to know her place."  
"Renji, be careful with her then. Please. She really just wants to impress you."  
"I don't want to be impressed. And drop it."  
She sighed. Michiru noticed, though, that Rangiku was glancing over her shoulder as we were talking. She caught on.  
Michiru glanced at me nervously, tugging the front of her shirt. Which I noticed was different. And her hair, braided down her back instead of hanging loose. The black shirt, the white jeans, all of it accentuated what was already beautiful about her. She stared back at me, confused, her grey eyes flickering from my face to Rangiku's. She knew we were talking about her.  
Rangiku nudged me. "Either stop staring and get over this, or say something to her. I know the way you're looking at her and I've seen it before. Do something, Renji, because if you don't, you're going to make yourself sick over this. And you know you were harsh on her. You know it. I'm done." She turned, motioning for Michiru and Orihime to follow. For once in my life, I began to feel as if Rangiku was right.

The weather was drab, with a low cloud cover over Karakura town. I found myself back in the park. Sitting on the same bench, wishing that I hadn't come here. I knew that it was desperation, that I wanted to remove that night by tearing apart the scenario.  
I could still see her there, sitting next to me, her long hair falling over her shoulders. I could see the expression on her face when I walked off, her confusion, and I felt terrible. She had admitted to me that she loved me, and I put her down. Had I broken her? She was so fragile, and she only wanted to feel accepted by me. What had I done?  
What did I want?  
I didn't have time to think about it. My mind was already on her, already thinking about her beautiful face, her body, even her power. Standing between Hitsugaya and Michiru told me so much about how strong she was-her pressure overpowered Hitsugaya's by leaps and bounds. I knew what I wanted. I couldn't bring myself to question it, couldn't make myself deny it. I wanted to resist and to tell myself no, but I couldn't. It was almost a physical effort. It hurt deep in my chest, made my throat clench. I couldn't deny it.  
As much as I wanted to just enjoy it, I couldn't make myself. I knew this was a bad situation, and that there was no way Byakuya could find out about it. He would never approve. And I wasn't entirely sure that I could keep it secret. If Rangiku had seen through me that quickly, then Byakuya would figure it out the moment he saw me. 


	6. Chapter 6

***Michiru***

I needed to talk to someone. Not Rangiku, not Renji, not Orihime. I needed Yumichika and Ikkaku more than anything. Rangiku was making me incredibly uncomfortable now that I had seen her talking with Renji, and I knew what they had been talking about. It's not like I was blind.  
I knew that she was pressuring Renji to talk to me. That she was taking everything I said not to do and turning it around, maybe as a sick game on her part, or as some twisted way of trying to help. I didn't WANT her help. I didn't want anything to with her help, or even Renji at this point. He didn't want anything to do with me, and I had to deal with it.  
I rushed out of Orihime's apartment, fighting tears as I searched for Yumichika's spiritual pressure. They weren't very close; in fact, they were at least a mile away. I sighed, breaking into a jog in their direction.  
Rangiku was not to be trusted, I decided. Even if she was trying to help in her own way, I didn't want to chance it again. I had Yumichika. I had Ikkaku. They had been better friends than anyone, and I didn't understand why I hadn't just talked to them about it.  
Well, then again, I did. Because Ikkaku wasn't one for friendly advice, and of course Yumichika didn't understand why I had fallen in love with Renji to begin with. He deemed him unattractive. And he apparently couldn't get past that, even though he tried to give me advice. Ikkaku, though... he seemed so angry when I mentioned it, like I was annoying him, so I didn't talk about it in front of him.  
But at least they would listen and not blab to everyone in the whole Soul Society.  
As I neared them, a good ten or eleven blocks from where I started, I slowed down. I didn't want them thinking I was so desparate I had to run and find them. I could hear them talking close by, murmuring something about a rice ball. I pretended to be casual.  
Yumichika rounded the corner first, and I grinned. "Hello, beautiful," I said, watching him nearly squeal with delight. Ikkaku stumbled into him, shoving him out of the way.  
"Don't I just make your day more gorgeous?" Yumichika beamed, flipping his hair. He gave Ikkaku a very slight glare. "I knew you were around. Didn't know you were looking for us, though."  
"You need anything?" Ikkaku asked suddenly, shoving himself in front of Yumichika. Yumi peered over his shoulder angrily.  
"I believe she was talking to me, baldy."  
Ikkaku ignored him. "Really. I mean, I was just wondering."  
"I just wanted to come hang out, I guess. I'm not on any sort of watch so..." I tried, attempting to sound innocent.  
"Of course. If Ikkaku doesn't want to be a bitch," Yumichika muttered, prodding Ikkaku. Ikkaku growled and shoved him again.  
"Ok. I'll just follow you around, then."  
And so they kept walking. This was the normal routine; I just followed them around, and they included me when I wanted to be included. They didn't pressure me, and they didn't expect anything spectacular out of me. Which was FINE by me. But Ikkaku glanced over his shoulder at me nervously.  
"Michiru, who braided your hair?" Yumichika asked as they walked. "I want one feather braided into mine. Just one. No more, that would be tacky."  
"Rangiku, actually," I answered. Why in the world did she have to exist at this point? I silently wished her into obvlivion. "It's lovely. Why don't you do-"  
"MY HAIR," Ikkaku cut in. For a moment, I thought he was serious. I stopped and gave them the most dumbfounded look until Ikkaku cracked a grin.  
"You weirdo," I told him, and I found myself laughing. For the first time in a while, I was laughing. And it wasn't fake.  
Ten seconds with them and I felt better.  
After a few mintues of Yumichika's relentless no-hair teasing, we continued on. Yumichika rattled on about the rice ball from earlier. As he babbled, I began to settle. This was what I was used to. This was what felt right, and for a moment I considered enlisting in the 11th company just to be with them. I could get used to the rest of the guys there, and probably hold up pretty well sparring. Maybe.  
I stayed a few steps behind them though, giving them room. I didn't want to feel like a pest. Again, Ikkaku glanced over his shoulder at me.  
"What are you looking at?" I questioned, and he ignored me. "Ikkaku. What did I do?"  
"Nothing. Just making sure you're back there," he said, still looking ahead. Something wasn't right with him anymore.  
"Whatever. Yumi, where are you guys staying?"  
"Right now? ...Probably that kid's house. Keigo or whatever. It's free and he doesn't bother us."  
"Can I stay with you guys?" I asked, pouring on the sweetness.  
"Sure. I don't mind. But you'll have to sneak in because the kid is insane. He'll pounce on you."  
"Why?"  
"Because you're obviously as beautiful as I am, that's why, and I'm not exactly sure he doesn't want to pounce on me," Yumichika answered. "Just don't let him see you."  
Ikkaku muttered something I didn't catch, but I was pretty sure I caught "I'll tear his balls off". And I cringed.

The house we eventually made it to was small, wedged onto a crowded streetcorner. I obviously hadn't kept up with the time and it was already night. But then again, when I had left Orihime's, it was later in the day. So I was ready to turn in for the night, tired from walking all over Karakura Town and dealing with Rangiku. I questioned Yumichika about sleeping arrangements.  
"We were sleeping on the floor," he said. "Well, I went and bought new sheets, but we sleep on the floor in the guest room. You can sleep there too, if you like."  
Ikkaku fidgeted. "There's a separate room too. I'm sure we could sneak you in there."  
"Trying to get rid of me, Ikkaku?" I asked. He seemed... flustered.  
I glanced at Yumichika, who shrugged. "It's up to you," he said. "I'm going inside to brush my hair. Find your way inside."  
And he left. Ikkaku glanced at me, scoffing suddenly and taking off after Yumichika. So weird. And so unlike Ikkaku.  
I ignored it and searched for a side entrance, finding that the door on the side of the house led directly into the laundry room. I squirmed my way in and down the hall to what seemed to be the guest room, where Yumichika was curled on the floor, running a large paddle brush through his perfect hair. "Is Ikkaku bothering you?" he asked, and I stopped.  
"What do you mean?" I glanced around to look for Ikkaku, but he was nowhere near. "He's not annoying me. I'm just really creeped out, to be honest."  
Yumichika smirked. "The way he acts around you is ridiculous. And this is a recent development, or either he has lost all self control."  
"You aren't making any sense to me."  
He laughed. "I shouldn't be. Don't worry about it."  
I sighed, banging my forehead on the doorframe. "I don't need anything strange from you two. I already have enough to worry about," I groaned. "And I want to go home. Yumi, take me home."  
"Aw. Come here," he said, patting the floor next to him. "And you know I normally have no sypmathy, but it's you. Sit."  
I curled up next to him. "I'm tired already, Yumi," I sighed. "Look at me." He grabbed my chin delicately with his slender fingers, forcing me to look into his face. "You are not going to give up now. I don't care how much of an ass Renji or Ikkaku is, you still have me, and I say you better stick with the program. This is your chance, Michiru," he said lowly. His deep burgundy eyes were fiercely serious. "Make that captain position and you'll have made it farther that me or Ikkaku or even Renji. Don't you dare give up."  
He released my chin, his expression settling into a more serene look. "Now let me take your hair down. It's dissheveled."  
I turned and he began to separate the plaits in my hair, brushing them as he went. This began to feel like a recurring theme, people playing with my hair. I wasn't going to tell him to stop, though. "Do you still like that jerk anyway?" he asked suddenly.  
"I don't know."  
"What do you mean you don't know?"  
"I just don't. I don't know what his problem is and I don't want to talk about him," I snapped. The door cracked, and Ikkaku stepped in. His eyes travled over my face for a moment before he proceeded to lay down on the mat next to us, staring up at the ceiling.  
"Where did you go?" Yumichika asked.  
"I had to go stake out that rice ball place. It's just too suspicious," he said quietly. "Are you making Michiru play dress up or what?"  
"I'm just fixing her hair."  
Ikkaku rolled his eyes, and rolled over so that he wasn't looking at us. "I'll never understand you, Yumichika. But I guess that's ok."  
"It's perfectly fine, cue ball. Now get some rest. And you too, Michiru."  
I nodded. It was about time to rest, anyway, and I didn't feel like thinking anymore.

I slept soundly back-to-back with Yumichika, his warmth comforting me. Ikkaku was on my other side, tossing restlessly. Sometime around 3 in the morning, I heard him stir, and noticed that he got up.  
Worried about him, I slipped out of the covers and followed him outside.  
He perched himself near a brick retaining wall, kicking his feet back and forth. His hand rested on Hozukimaru as if he was waiting for battle. I wouldn't doubt that he had sensed something he didn't like, but he seemed different.  
"Ikkaku. What's been bothering you?" I asked, hopping up next to him.  
"Nothing, really."  
"Don't lie to me." I touched his hand gently. "I know something is bothering you."  
He looked over at me, flinching under my touch. "You don't want to know."  
"Why?"  
"I don't want to piss you off."  
"You won't."  
He sighed heavily and stared up at the moon for a moment. Then he looked back to me, his eyes locking on mine. "I can't tell you how angry I am at Renji. For being such an ass to you."  
Did everyone and their mothers know about this? "Don't. Just don't worry about that," I muttered. "I can handle it."  
"And it's not just that, I just don't see why he can't... I don't know. He had you. You were there for him, and he just... turned you down so quickly. I don't understand."  
"What did he turn me down on, Ikkaku? It's not like anything serious happened. Everyone is freaking out because Rangiku said all that-"  
"It's not Rangiku's fault. I'm pissed at Renji and no one else, because..."  
Suddenly, his calloused hand was on my cheek. Confused, I wasn't sure how to react, so I sat still. He cupped my cheek gently, then reached up to brush my hair out of my eyes.  
"Because he had the most wonderful woman at his fingertips, and he chose to ignore her. And I think he's stupid," he said quietly. "I hate him for not taking the chance to be with you. He ignored you. I don't understand what... what he was trying to say."  
"Does it matter?"  
"Yes, it matters! He's stupid! He doesn't know what you're worth! And I don't know why he can't see it. I don't know what he's missing about you. I see everything about you. And so does Yumichika. We believe in you and he's so blind he can't see how...Argh, I don't know how to say it," he nearly shouted. "Ikkaku. Just..." It began to click inside my head, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to sound stupid, and I didn't want to assume anything. But... "Nevermind. Forget I said anything," he snapped, turning away from me. "Yumichika is probably looking for you."  
"Don't try to get rid of me, please," I begged. "I just want to help."  
"It's OK, Michiru," he said, nearly angry now. "Drop it. Now."  
I sighed. "Alright... But when you decide you want to tell me about it-"  
"I just want to forget about it."  
He was tense again, his dark eyes glaring out into the darkness. I could feel the frustration dripping off him and I decided I should probably leave him alone, so I bailed off the wall, muttering a good night before going back into the house.  
It seemed like Yumichika hadn't moved. I slid under the covers carefully, trying to find my original spot. He didn't notice. Which was ok, because I didn't want him to know about what had just gone down with Ikkaku.  
"Did you think I didn't hear all of that?"  
I nearly screamed. Yumichika laughed quietly, rolling over to bombard me with his smug expressions. "You scared the sh-"  
"I know. I just love doing that to you, but anyway. You really didn't think I would notice? Silly girl," he continued. "And I have to say, if you haven't figured out what he meant..."  
"I think I have, but I want to drop it, like he asked me to," I said quickly. "I really don't want to push it."  
He grinned. "I think you should push it."  
"No. There's obviously something he doesn't want to tell me and I don't want to bother him about it, so I won't. You stop being nosy."  
He pulled the covers up around his shoulders, peering out from under them childishly. "Or what?"  
"I'll tear off one of your feathers. Just one. Then they'll be uneven, and you'll be hideous."  
He gasped. "You would do no such thing! I would NOT be hideous..."  
"I'll do it."  
"Ok, I'll stop..."  
I glanced down at him. Was everyone being odd tonight? Yumi was being unusually...goofy. And in a strange way. He was almost happy. Maybe he was just super tired, but really. There was something up with EVERYONE.  
I sighed, pulling the covers over my head. "Yumi, I worry about him sometimes," I said quietly. And it was true. Ikkaku worried me quite a bit. I wondered where he went when he wandered off, what he got himself into on the way there, and I worried that he was going to get himself hurt one day. He loved a fight but to be honest, I was scared one day he was going to encounter someone that would be his end.  
Ikkaku had to stay around. I needed him.  
Yumichika peeked under the covers at me. "I do too, you know."  
"I know you do, he's your best friend."  
He silenced for a moment. "Yeah, he is," he replied quietly, as if I had thrown a damp rag on his emotions. "What? Am I wrong?"  
He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. What had I done now? Had I managed to piss everyone off in twelve seconds?  
"Yumichika, what did I do?" I asked, nudging him.  
"Sometimes you're too right," he murmured, and rolled over away from me. 


	7. Chapter 7

I slept soundly, finding that I had slept on one shoulder all night long. I was sore and slightly cramped, so I stretched, until I felt my heel connect with something soft. Skin, I thought, looking down to the end of the blanket.  
Ikkaku lay at my feet, flat on his stomach, his hand on Hozukimaru and his head facing the door. Had he been there all night? Yumichika was still asleep next to me, his slim fingers wound into the sheets tightly. Yet, his expression wasn't as peaceful. He looked as if he'd had a nightmare.  
I sat up carefully so I wouldn't wake Yumichika, but I caused Ikkaku to stir. He shifted sleepily and rubbed his eyes, wiping the trademark red paint all over his cheek. I snickered, wondering if Yumichika would be willing to repaint it when he woke up. I knew how sour Yumi could be in the morning.  
The sun was barely up, so I decided it would be an ok time to take a bath. The human wouldn't be up yet, surely, and Yumichika and Ikkaku probably wouldn't move until later in the afternoon. I had time to take a bath and wash my hair, I thought, and treated myself to the bathroom.  
It was refreshing to take a shower, even though it was nothing like a good bath back in the Seireiti. I was happy to get rid of all the dirt and grime that the human world seemed so comfortable with, and my hair definitely needed a good wash. It gave me too much time to think, though.  
What Ikkaku said still bothered me. I replayed it in my mind numerous times, trying to understand exactly what he meant. He was vague enough that there were two ways to interpret what he said, and I preferred to believe the first option that came to my mind.  
I wanted to believe that he was just sticking up for me, that he was just mad at Renji for being...well... a prick. Which I couldn't deny. He could have been a little more tactful. But the only other option was that Ikkaku...  
The thought made my mind reel. There was no way, no possible way that Ikkaku felt that way for me. All this time, I had just been a pretty plaything that he dragged around and sparred with. Why did he suddenly want to get attached to me, and in this way? And if he didn't feel that way and I confronted him about it... I would look like an idiot, and more narcissistic than Yumi. Suddenly frustrated, I shut the water off, fishing for my clothes. I didn't feel them in the floor, and didn't feel the towel I had put out. I struggled to reach a little farther until I felt them press into my palm, warm fingers brushing mine.  
I peered out of the shower nervously. "I didn't realize you were in here," Yumichika said sleepily, yawning. "I wanted to take a bath..."  
"Well, I'm done, so just hold on a second and let me get dressed..." I muttered. For a moment, I wanted to scold him, but didn't bother with it. He wasn't even awake yet. "Why are you up so early?" he asked, his voice muffled by the shower curtain. I struggled to keep my jeans from getting wet on the bottom of the shower.  
"Just because."  
"Did Ikkaku wake you?"  
"...No. Why?"  
He chuckled. "No reason." "Yumi, tell me, please."  
"Do you want to know? Because I'm not supposed to say a thing. Really, I shouldn't tell you."  
The second I was dressed I bailed out of the shower. I was beyon frustrated at this point. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you two, but I want an answer. What do you mean, Yumichika?"  
He put his mirror down, sighing. "If you must know, he had been sitting there watching over you until at least 4 this morning. He just now fell alseep, so don't wake him. I will smash you if you do. And I will DEFINITELY smash you if he finds out I told you this," he said, flipping his hair. "So. Don't say a word. The only reason I know is because when he opened the door last night to come in he woke me up."  
I stared at him blankly. "Why was he watching me?" I asked, my heart sinking. This was not what I wanted.  
"Figure it out, Michiru. It's not that hard. And it should be painfully obvious." He nudged by me, turning the shower back on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to take a bath."  
More confused than before, I sighed and wandered back to the spare room, finding Ikkaku still in the same position, red paint smeared on his cheek. I was surprised Yumichika hadn't noticed, but then again, I was sure he didn't want to wake him up just to fix cosmetics. I reached down and wiped it away gently, watching him knit his eyebrows and shy away from my hand.  
Guiltily, I began to wonder what Renji looked like asleep. I wondered if he let his hair down, or at least took his bandanna off. I knew Ikkaku never remembered to wash his red paint off and Yumichika chided him for it, claiming that it was terrible for his skin when he left it on all night. Where was Renji? Was he with Rukia, or did he stay somewhere else? I forced myself to stop. I didn't want to get wrapped back up in that world, much less even think about him. Really, what was the benefit of pining after someone who didn't care?  
I tried to get comfortable again, wrapping myself up in the blanket, even scooting a little closer to Ikkaku. As weird as things had been last night, he still made me feel safer in a big brother type of way. Yumichika had his own way of making me feel better, but Ikkaku always felt like the safest person to be around. But not for long.  
As I got comfortable, I felt as though the pit of my stomach was dropping through the floor. The whole air of Karakura Town felt different...thicker, even. Something was not right. I nudged Ikkaku's shoulder gently. He opened one eye. "What?" he muttered.  
"Do you feel that?" I asked, nervously reaching for my zanpakuto. "What? It's probably somebody coming through from the Seireiti... Feels weird, I know..." he said quietly. He rolled over onto his stomach.  
"No. That's not it..."  
"Michiru, stop worrying," he said, muffled. "If it's something bad, Hitsugaya will let us know. I hope."  
Yumichika padded back into the room, drying his hair, shaking out his shihakusho. "Did you feel that? It was hideous," he said. Ikkaku groaned.  
"It's nothing. Drop it," he growled.  
"You know what it feels like?" Yumichikia asked. He looked funny standing there in nothing but the bottoms of his shihakusho, struggling to put his socks on. "It feels like the Captain."  
"It probably is... I. Want. To. Sleep."  
I figured he had a right to be exhausted, but really? Ikkaku turning down the chance to fight? Maybe he was sick.  
Yumichika motioned for me to follow him, tying his uniform neatly. I scrambled after him and followed him out of the house. "I don't care how tired he is, I want to know what's going on," Yumi muttered, furiously trying to situate his uniform. "It smells like a hollow."  
"Smells?"  
"Don't ask."  
I followed him closely for a moment, trying to focus on the source of the pressure. He was obviously confused, stopping at every street corner, guessing vaguely at his location before taking off toward the next block. "It's in the Vegetable Market," I told him. "The big open-air farmer thing."  
He snorted. "I knew that."  
"Sure you did."  
"You do have your zan-"  
"Yes, I do. I don't leave without it."  
We ran for what seemed like forever. It felt as if there was something holding us in one place, like our feet were only carrying us centimeters at a time. The odd pressure only increased as we neared the market, and by this time, it felt like gravity had doubled its hold on us. It took physical effort to move and we struggled to reach the market.  
"This is too strange. I've never felt something like this before," Yumichika groaned. "It's awful."  
"It's almost like Izuru's Wabisuke. Remember? It doubles your weight everytime it touches you..." I said. He leaned against the street corner, his eyes widening. "That's exactly what it feels like. You don't think he's-"  
I shook my head. "No. It has to have physical contact..."  
We peered around the corner cautiously. The market was empty, totally devoid of people. There were no vendors, no shoppers, not even any animals. No birds, no cats, no dogs. And it was incredibly silent.  
The feeling that washed over me was similar to that of the silence after a storm. Like looking out over all the damage and watching the storm pass in the distance. Yumi looked down at me, puzzled. "Is it closed?" I asked, but I knew better. The gates were wide open, and the various groceries were still out on the vendor's stalls. "It can't be. It's Tuesday..."  
He stepped out into the plaza, nervously glancing around. "We should call for someone. This could be a trap... Do you remember that Bakudou? The thing you do like Isane?"  
"77? I do, but I don't have any ink-"  
"Well what about 58?"  
"I can do that one. Hold on." I fought for the incantation for a moment, my mind scattered. When it came to me, it tumbled out robotically. "Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, heel of the east, gather by wind, scatter by rain, Bakudo 58, Kakushitsuijaku-" With the last word, my mind began to race. Searching. I concentrated on the nearest pressure, trying to focus the incantation, until I realized who I was zeroing in on. Renji. I could clearly see him sitting there, cleaning Zabimaru, his head whipping up as the incantation reached him. In an instant he was on his feet, shouting orders, and then I realized there were more people than just Rukia and Ichigo with him. There was Hisagi, and even Iba. Why had they come here? I whirled around to Yumichika. "Something is very, very wrong," I sputtered. "I think we need to get out of here."  
"What? What did you see? Did you get help?"  
"Hisagi and Iba are here. Why would they send them?"  
"I don't know. Maybe just to check things out. You know Hisagi is-"  
"I don't care what Hisagi is. I care that he's an assistant captain and that there's obviously something that is more than we can handle..."  
He grabbed my shoulders. "Michiru. Stop."  
I stood staring into his purple eyes, shaking.  
"Do you know who you are? Do you? And just because I'm fifth seat doesn't mean I can't handle one nasty little Arrancar. Which is what I'm assuming is-..."  
He stopped mid-sentence. "Yumi?" I asked quietly, but he didn't seem to respond. His grip tightened on my shoulders painfully, but his eyes were blank.  
Almost lifeless.  
He coughed violently, blood spattering the front of my uniform, falling into my arms. I nearly screamed, panicking, shaking him to try and get him to say something. He continued to cough, blood smearing on my arms and chest.  
He'd been stabbed. I saw the speartip in his back, protruding through the side of his shoulder now, and I knew that he could die. But there was nothing I could do. My kido was not extensive enough to fix this, and the only person who could possibly help was Orihime. But I didn't have time to look for her. Whoever stabbed him was after both of us, and I didn't want to risk both of us getting hurt, and him getting killed.  
Gently, I put him on the ground on his side, tearing my zanpakuto out of its sheath. But I couldn't pinpoint any particular disturbance; in fact, I was just as clueless as I had been when we arrived. My eyes searched the area frantically. "So they sent you? Just you two? No. You came on your own?"  
The voice circled me. There was something incredibly snake-like about the tone, very deceiving. He sounded calm and content with what he had just done.  
"Don't hide. It's cowardice," I muttered. "You were the one so scared a few seconds ago. Where's all this bravado coming from?"  
"Just show yourself."  
"You mean you don't remember me? Can't tell who I am? Michiru, I'm disappointed in you."  
Yumichika wretched behind me and I widened my stance defensively, backing toward his body. His hand touched my ankle weakly.  
"Sorry. I tend to forget assholes," I said. "But, Michiru, I tought you so much in the Academy. Such a bright student. But not that bright. And to think that they want you to take MY place? How silly. You're blind."  
The realization began to kick in. I knew this person. I knew the voice, that sneering tone. And I even knew the presence. It was as if I had opened my eyes into bright sun- I knew exactly where he was and that he was within arm's length of me. And I wanted to kill him.  
Before I could complete the thought, I had thrust my zanpakuto in his direction, but he easily blocked. I realized my mistake, but I didn't recoil from him. I had a score to settle now.  
"You're fast. Not quite as good as me, but fast," he said. "Why are you here?" I snapped. "Shouldn't you be up Aizen's ass?"  
"So rude."  
His spear ground against the hilt of my zanpakuto as he held me off. He wavered into my sight, his narrow eyes hidden under his white hair. Was he struggling against me? I took a quick step back, away from Yumichika but still close enough to protect him. I had taken the first strike-surely he would follow me. I knew how his mind worked.  
"Why are you here, Ichimaru?" I asked again. He dropped his spear, looking from Yumichika to me. "Just for some fun. I always hated him. So full of himself." His tone was mocking again. "But really, I have something to do. And had you not showed up, it would've been just fine. I was expecting Madarame. Or Abarai. I need something from them, not from you."  
"And what's that?"  
He paused for a moment, circling around me like a vulture. His smile widened. "On second thought, I guess you might do."  
He lunged for me.  



	8. Chapter 8

****So, I've noticed that when I wrote the first few chapters of this story, I spelled out things like Kidou and names like Tousen with the o and ^ over it. And that didn't render. I'll try to fix that, because a lot of words look funny without the letter o. Thanks for reading :3****

I managed to block, but the edge of his spear caught the side of my wrist. Before I could react he had jabbed at me again, toward my head. I ducked. Strands of my hair drifted down to the ground and I realized how close he'd come to my face.  
Catching my bearings, I took one good step closer to him and kicked the inside of his knee, thrusting toward his chest as he fell. I was absolutely sure I'd hit my mark; I'd seen the tip of my sword tear through the front layer of his robe. Until he disappeared beneath me.  
I stumbled forward and nearly fell, knocking into a vegetable stall. I struggled to catch my balance. I could hear his feet behind me and I readied to round on him, but his hand snagged my hair, yanking me down forcefully.  
"That was a dirty move, kicking my knee out like that. You almost had me," he growled. I twisted out of his hold and swung, expecting the block. I could feel blood seeping down my scalp where he'd pulled hair out.  
For a moment, it was hard to keep track of my own motions. We jabbed and slashed furiously, moving back across the plaza until his back was against the opposite stall. Then it occurred to me- he was looking for Renji, and I had called him here. Even though I wasn't sure why he wanted him, I had stupidly called for Renji's help, and he would be here any minute. I had put him in harm's way.  
He shoved me, lunging for me again, but I didn't react fast enough. His spear dug into my ribs, deeply this time. I could feel the tip hit my ribs and slide past them. Something was bound to be bleeding internally. Not to mention the blood pouring down my side. I managed a slash, though, when he paused to assess what he'd done. My blade caught his right shoulder, but it was only a shallow wound. He avoided me again.  
There was only one thing I could think to do to keep Ichimaru from going after Renji, and that was to try and prove that I had whatever he wanted. Was it power? Maybe some piece of weaponry. Maybe I could distract him.  
I lept back to the center of the plaza, wondering if it was wise to try my unperfected bankai. If power was what Ichimaru was looking for, I could give him the slightest bit. Just the slightest. I knew I was nowhere near as strong as Ikkaku or Renji, but I could try.  
"Don't think that showing me your little shikai is going to keep me from finding them. I already know what it looks like," he said, twirling his spear around in a bored fashion. "I used to watch over your class. I saw it the first time you managed it. And I've overseen Abarai and Hinamori and all others in their class. Even Rukia. I know you all."  
But there was one thing he didn't know about me.

***RENJI***

The sight in front of me was beyond disturbing. I had expected something like a ranking Espada that Michiru was struggling with, but this... This was nothing that I was prepared to handle. Her garbled Kakushitsuijaku hadn't made any sense to me, and I wondered what had disrupted it. Yumichika lay half-dead in the corner of the plaza, blood pooling around him quickly. "Kurosaki. Take Yumichika and get to Inoue," I ordered. "And hurry."  
Without question, Ichigo lept from the roof and scooped up Yumichika carefully, bounding off without a sound. Hisagi and Iba peered down on the scene with me, questioning our position. "Do you think we should interfere? She's holding out well," Iba asked.  
"We have to do something," Hisagi said lowly. "Ichimaru is just playing with her. If he was actually trying to hurt her, she'd be dead."  
"He's right. Iba, get behind him, and Hisagi, get to his left. I'll stay on his right. At the first sign of Michiru getting in trouble, take him out. This is too dangerous," I said. "And if it seems like he's going to run, don't let him get the chance to escape. And don't let him know you're here."  
They nodded, and with a quick flash step they were gone. I began to creep down on the plaza, smothering my spiritual pressure. He couldn't find us, or it would ruin the attack. I hoped that Iba and Hisagi knew what they were doing.  
Something caught me off guard. I watched Michiru skip back to the center of the plaza, but her pressure increased dramatically. She was about to do something drastic. Ichimaru stopped, lowering his spear to say something snide to her. But he had something behind his back.  
He had some sort of button, maybe a switch, and he pressed it. Nothing noticeable happened. Was it a signal?  
But then, he looked up directly at me. His gaze leveled with mine and his grin widened. He knew we were here. He'd probably known we were coming in the first place. Michiru followed his gaze to me, and her eyes widened in fear.  
Her head snapped back to Ichimaru. "Hey! You don't need him. I've got what you want," she snapped, but the bravado in her voice was faltering. He laughed, but she pointed her zanpakuto defiantly. "What exactly do you think you're going to do?" he asked. "I've got 3 assistant captains to pick from now. You're nothing to me."  
She shook her head. "Remember, you haven't seen me in a year. You don't know what I've done or what I can accomplish."  
"And what is that?"  
I readied myself for the worst, but what happened totally surprised me. She took a wide stance and shouted the one word I knew Ichimaru wasn't expecting.  
"BANKAI!" It all happened in an instant, but I was amazed by every millisecond. "Bloom, Kinjiri Egonoki!" she shouted again, and her entire being seemed to change. What was white on her zanpakutou was now an amazing shade of gold, luminescent, and glittering brightly like nothing I'd ever seen. The shape was something like a scimitar. All around her feet, the ground glittered with golden snowbell tree blossoms, and they drifted on pools of what looked like glass. Maybe ice. I wasn't entirely sure-I had never witnessed anything like it.  
Her long hair fluttered wildly around her, catching gold blossoms and ice as it rose around her. She dropped the tip of her blade quickly, dipping it into the pool beneath her feet. I noticed Gin's expression as he watched the pool dance around her ankles, and he didn't seem too happy. In fact, I caught fear. He wasn't sure how to react to this. And neither was I.  
"You have a new toy," he said quietly. His spear dropped. Since when did he carry a spear? "Amusing. But really, I don't think you'll last much longer. I see the blood around your ankles."  
She whipped her blade up suddenly, and the tip drew a perfect line in ice. "That doesn't matter," she said, but her voice was weak. "Just leave them alone and take whatever you need from me."  
She thrust her zanpakutou through the halo of ice, and the magnitude of her bankai began to sink in. It was an explosion of liquid gold and ice, twisting into vines and limbs and blossoms in front of her, stretching out to wrap Ichimaru in what resembled Hitsugaya's Hiyorinmaru. He struggled, but only for a moment as the branches totally enveloped him. The sound, though, contrasted. His frustrated scream was muffled by the serene sound of glass chimes. It was almost deafening.  
I was beyond amazed. There was something so beautiful, yet so frightening about it that I wasn't sure how to feel. And I wasn't paying attention. The sudden change in spiritual pressure wasn't only Michiru's.  
Iba's shout was a terrified one. "ABARAI! Behind her!" he yelled, but Hisagi was closest. In all of the commotion I hadn't seen the real danger.  
He wasn't a ranking Espada, and he was barely considered and Arrancar, but the thing behind her had already jabbed his own twisted weapon into Michiru's left shoulder before Hisagi could stop him. Furious, I dove for the creature as Michiru faltered, her bankai breaking into small pieces. Gin fell to the ground, bloody, but not for long. Three of the Arrancars, none of them that I recognized, were at his side immediately. That button had been a distress signal.  
He knew he was in over his head. Michiru struggled to her feet as more of the Arrancars flooded the market place. Iba and Hisagi were already occupied with them, fighting them back. My mind whirled; I was angry. Angry that this nasty little thing had hurt her, angry that Ichimaru had gotten away, and angry that HE'D hurt her. I was beyond angry. With one swipe, I left the creature motionless, and went on to deal with the others. There had to be at least 20 of them, maybe more, but they weren't much more powerful than a regular Hollow. I didn't have time to question if they were Arrancars or not. Michiru was hurt. Terribly. And that was all that mattered. There was a new person in the commotion, though. Ikkaku had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, fighting fiercly in front of Michiru. Where had he come from? And why wasn't he here earlier?  
"Madarame! You're late!" I yelled, fending off a wild attack. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I noticed! Her whole 'Let me whip out my bankai' thing woke me up!"  
"You were asleep?"  
"I had something to take care of last night, ok?"  
He was obviously just as rage-fueled as I was, though I wasn't sure what his deal was. He wasn't one to miss out on something like this. And surely, he wasn't tired, was he? I managed to kill maybe three of them before I heard her voice cry out over the fray, telling me to stop. I turned to find her back on her feet, drawing a halo of shimmering ice in the air around her. "Stop! Get out of the way, and quickly!" she yelled. "I can fix this!"  
"No!" I shouted. "You need to get somewhere safe!"  
Her glare told me she wasn't going to argue. "Just go. Now. You'll get killed, Renji."  
For a moment, I was scared. Absolutely terrified. Surely it wasn't that bad, was it? What was she going to do? "Run!" she screamed. I couldn't object. I called for Iba and Hisagi, who hadn't heard her, and ordered them to follow me. Ikkaku snagged my collar. "What are you doing?" he shouted, but I dragged him along. I bounded onto the rooftop with him in tow, Hisagi following closely. "Are you just going to leave her? You bastard! We can handle them!"  
"SHE can handle it, Madarame! Let her do this, whatever it is!" I retorted. "And what if she can't?" "Then we'll be close by!"  
I slid to a halt a few rooftops over, perched on the edge of a 3 story apartment complex. I could clearly see her and the creature-filled plaza should anything go wrong. She had drawn two more halos around herself, the blossoms drifting around her feet once more. But the pool was spreading. Laced with gold this time, the crystaline pool began to drift across the plaza and beneath the feet of the creatures, snowbell blossoms fluttering on the wind around them. I could hear the chime-like noise they made from where we were standing.  
"What is she doing? She's taking too long, Abarai," Hisagi warned. "Just wait."  
The branches and vines from earlier curled around her feet, shimmering brightly in the sunlight like pure ice. They wound up and around her legs protectively, probably supporting her, as the creatures began to turn on her. At the last second, she shouted something, and the creatures froze. I didn't catch her command, but the reaction was instant. The creatures were stuck. Still alive, but stuck. And they weren't going anywhere. But her second command was loud and clear.  
"Ring, Egonoki!" she cried, and dropped her blade again.  
As her blade dropped through each ring, an ear-splitting tone rang out. Each tone was in tune with the other, though, and the vibrations were unholy. The building beneath us shook with the sound, but anything that was touched by her icy bankai immediately shattered into millions of tiny pieces. It, in all honesty, was like listening to a giant array of tuning forks. The tones faded slowly and the ice receded back to her feet. The ice shards floated like golden dust around her, drifting to the floor of the plaza slowly. I was passed amazed at this point. I was speechless, and so were Iba and Hisagi. Never in our time in the Gotei had we seen anything like it, except for maybe my own captain's bankai. But even his seemed a little pale in comparison.  
Michiru was the most powerful student to ever have gone through the Academy, and possibly the most powerful captain to come. She glanced over her shoulder at me, her zanpakutou returning to its snow white form. But her eyes were dull. She was exhausted. Ikkaku gasped. "Michiru!" he breathed, and dove for her. I ran after him, struggling to keep pace as he ran to catch her. She collapsed before he reached her. Blood began to mingle in the left over icy gold pool, her hair drenched in crimson on one side. Ikkaku made a strangled noise that I'd never heard from him-was it concern?  
"Michiru, Michiru look at me," he said frantically, scooping her up gently. "Look at me. Don't you do this."  
Her eyes fluttered for a moment, but they didn't go to his face. They searched aimlessly for a moment, scanning Hisagi's face, then Iba's, until they lit on mine. He shook her gently. "Michiru, hang on. We'll take you home. Just hang on," he said to her. His eyebrows knit together furiously and he bit his lip in frustration.  
Hisagi tugged his shoulder. "Yumichika is at Inoue's. Kurosaki took him there," he said quietly. "We'll take Michiru back to Unohana."  
He rounded on Hisagi. "No! This is my fault, let me fix it!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. "I should have been there! I should have come with them, and look what happened!"  
I wasn't sure what came over me. I gripped the front of his robe tightly, jerking him to me so that he was eye to eye with me. "Look. I don't know what happened earlier, but get over it and let's go or she's going to DIE, Ikkaku. You can worry about this later," I growled. He sobered quickly, a scowl settling on his face as I gathered up Michiru carefully. "Somebody get hold of Kidou. We've got to get her to Unohana."


	9. Chapter 9

**** Oh Hai guys :3 Thanks a whole ton for reading, and for the reviews I have! Just poppin' in here to say that this chapter was written at like 4 in the morning. So if it goes on tangents, please let me know and I'll fix it. And it gets a little OOC for Renji, just to warn you. But not too much. Epic love to mah readers! ****

Ikkaku hadn't left her bedside in hours. After Unohana had patched Michiru up the best she could, she had placed her in the 4th Company's Intensive Care unit. I could still see him sitting there, head in his hands, moving only momentarily to touch her shoulder gently. He desperately wanted her to wake up and look at him, to let him know that she was ok.  
Truth be told, I did too. I wanted terribly to see her sit up and look around, as if nothing had ever happened. But I knew it would be a while. Unohana had told me that she'd lost an incredible amount of blood and that a few of her ribs were broken. Not to mention the cut on her scalp, the hole in her shoulder and the knick on her lung from Ichimaru's spear.  
She was in bad shape.  
Yumichika, on the other hand, was awake and demanding to see Ikkaku. Inoue had turned him over to 4th Company for a checkup after she'd finished with him, just to make sure she'd put everything back together right. He had lost just as much blood as Michiru, maybe more, but Inoue had done an incredible job of fixing him up. I wondered why I hadn't taken Michiru to her in the first place.  
They were both in terrible shape, though. And I felt guilty about it.  
Why, I had no clue. I had no reason to be. Except for the fact that I let her get hurt, and let Ichimaru get away... Well, those were obvious reasons to feel guilty. And now that Ichimaru had been scuffled with, the scope of the 13 companies was involved. Every department had something to do with Michiru, Ichimaru, or her bankai. The 12th Company was obviously most interested in her bankai and how it worked, 4th in the odd wounds that Ichimaru's spear had left, and the rest just pissed off in general that Ichimaru had gotten away.  
Even the Captain General himself was interested in Michiru.  
I stood at her door and refused several visitors so that she could rest. Everyone and their mother wanted to talk to her, ask her silly questions, but I didn't want them bothering her. Ikkaku, on the other hand, barely noticed. He was almost catatonic next to her, only moving to go eat and shower. He stayed that way for 3 days.  
Finally, at the end of the 3rd day, I decided it was time to find out the whole story. Without knocking, I barged in, but he didn't bother to look up. It was so out of character for him. He normally had something snide or sarcastic to say to me, but he didn't even seem like he noticed me.  
"Madarame. You mind telling me what the hell is wrong with you? And why you haven't even been to check on your best friend?" I asked, nudging him. He looked up at me from the corner of his eyes. "Is it any of your concern, Abarai?" he remarked. He tried to ignore me. I pulled a chair up next to him and flopped down.  
"Yeah, it is. Your best friend nearly died out there, Ikkaku. And you've shirked off everything for 3 days. Zaraki is beyond pissed off."  
"I know. And I don't care. He can come get me himself if he wants he for something."  
"What about Yumichika?"  
"Abarai, drop it. He's ok. Michiru is-"  
"Is what? Do you think she's yours, Ikkaku?" I hit my mark. He cringed, but glared at me defiantly. "I know you've been friends with her for a while, but since when has she concerned you this much? For the last few years, she's just been a plaything. Why the sudden change of heart?"  
He stood up quickly, towering over me. "You don't know what you're talking about."  
"I think I do," I said, meeting him eye to eye. "What changed, Madarame?"  
Frustrated, he knocked me out of the way and stepped around my chair. He barged into Isane, who was bringing fresh bandages to Michiru, and down the hall toward Yumichika's room. Finally. He needed to at least check on Yumichika, instead of hovering over someone who wouldn't be awake for a few more days.  
Isane asked me to leave the room as she changed Michiru's bandages, but I found myself hovering the same way Ikkaku did. I paced and paced in front of her door until Isane let me back in. The white hospital gown made her face look even more pale than it already was.  
I checked over her myself, inspecting the bandages as if I knew how they were supposed to be fixed. I had no clue, really, but there was something internally that told me to check over her. Look after her. I didn't bother the one on her ribs, and I didn't want to uncover her, so I just checked her scalp, and peered at her shoulder so see if it was healing over. It had stopped bleeding, which was good. I noticed the large spot of turquoise hair missing. Ichimaru's spear had shaved off a large hunk of her hair when it scraped her scalp, which I was sure she wouldn't be happy about. There was a small knick in her ear, but other than that, she looked the same.  
And yet, somehow, I was proud of her. I had taught her a few things when she was beginning in the Academy, and I felt as if somehow I had a contribution in making her as strong as she was. I knew that it was almost egotistical, but I couldn't help myself. She was the perfect student, and I knew that after this scuffle, she was sure to take a Captain's position.  
There was no doubt about it.  
I was jealous, too, but not so much. I wanted to be able to take the position myself, but then again, I was happy serving under Kuchiki. "Renji?"  
I glanced over my shoulder to find Rukia peeking aronud the doorframe. "Yes?"  
"Is she okay?"  
A little shocked, I motioned for her to come in. She sat down beside me. "She's just knocked out. And probably will be for a long time," I told her. "She's in rough shape."  
"So I heard." She shifted uneasily. "I was hoping she was. I wanted to apologize to her...for...well, for everything. But I won't bother her."  
"It'll be ok."

The fourth day came quickly. Michiru had drifted into consciousness once, answering only to Yumichika when he mentioned her name.  
He, on the other hand, had recovered quickly. He came to check on Michiru immediately after Unohana released him from her care. When he found her still out, he nearly panicked. "How long is she going to stay like this?" he asked quietly, tugging at his new shihakushou. "I'm not sure. Unohana said she would be awake soon," I told him. He sighed.  
"I wish I had been paying attention. I could have stopped it from happening if I had just listened. But I didn't. I didn't listen to her..." he trailed off, staring down at the floor. "Didn't listen to her about what?"  
He shook his head as if he was disagreeing with me. "I didn't listen. She kept asking me why Hisagi and Iba had shown up. She thought they had something to do with what we were feeling. That weight. I didn't think so." He looked up at me. "Why were they there, Abarai? Why did they come to Karakura?"  
I told him the truth. They hadn't been there for any reason other than reinforcement after the news that the Espadas were moving. "The Captain General sent them. He asked them to stake out with us while things were rolling in Las Noches." Something he said caught my attention. "...What weight, Yumichika?"  
"This feeling. Like when you first meet Zaraki-taichou, and it's just this...heaviness. It's not really like spiritual pressure, though. It was something different..."  
"Is that why you went toward it?"  
He nodded. "Michiru noticed it first. She was worried over it."  
I couldn't wrap my head around it. I hadn't felt the same thing they were describing-in fact, I hadn't noticed anything but a little movement in the atmosphere. "Where were you?"  
"Some kid's house. A high schooler. He had an extra room. He lives over by that place that sold those nefarious little rice balls..."  
"So in other words, a loooong way away from us. At least 6 or 7 miles, right?"  
"Yes. The farmer's market that we found was only a few blocks away."  
I began to add it up in my head. The distance was most likely the number one factor. The farmer's market, the store, and the house were all within a mile of Urahara Shoten. Was it directed at the shop, or at us? And if Ichimaru was looking for me, then why couldn't he just come find me?  
That didn't make sense at all. Surely, if Ichimaru really wanted to find me, he would know how to. It wasn't he was looking for a needle in a haystack, unless he was judging purely by spiritual pressure. Which was entirely possible. But if that was the case, then why had he targeted that area?  
I looked down at Michiru. Had her pressure been stronger than mine? Or was it Ikkaku's?  
"I wish she would wake up. I want to apologize," Yumichika said, mostly to himself. I'd never seen him this way. He was...humble. Not worried with himself in the least. "She'll be ok. Just giver her some time to build her system back up," I told him. "I want to fix her hair. Is that terrible of me?"  
I rolled my eyes. THAT was typical Yumichika. "No. She'll probably want it fixed, too. But that's not my forte."  
"And I want to get her a present."  
"Why?"  
He fiddled with his robe for a moment. "Just because. I like to buy her things. Not in that way, y'know. Just...well...she defended me. I may have been totally useless but I remember her standing over me to protect me. And that means a lot."  
"Whatever suits you."  
"And...the whole thing with Ikkaku being such an ass... I don't know how to explain that. I would apologize but that's his place. I don't know what he's thinking. All I know is that Michiru-"  
She stirred. Yumichika's face lit up instantly, and he scooted closer to her bedside. "Michiru? Are you awake?" he asked cautiously.  
Her eyes fluttered for a moment and she looked up to him, but she didn't say anything. She looked to me, then back to Yumichika. He tugged on her hand gently.  
"You know you want to wake up. I have your favorite candy," he begged. Her fingers closed around his hand weakly. "Those kiwi gummy things. Whatever you call them. I have bags of them."  
She managed a smile. "Maybe tomorrow, Yumi," she breathed. "I'm tired."  
"I'll remember that," he warned. "Tomorrow."  
"Go rest," she told him, trying to sound serious. Her voice was weak. "Don't worry about me."  
"I'm fine," he told her. "Are you comfortable?"  
She nodded. "Just chilly..."  
He looked at me expectantly, as if I should have a blanket tucked in my robe, so I got up to grab one from the cabinet. I snagged the first one I saw and unfolded it, tucking it around her gently. The blanket she already had was thick, and I wondered if she had a fever. "She's already out again," Yumichika mused, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. "But at least she woke up for a bit."  
I stared at her for a moment as he babbled. And I really took a long look at her. Her expression was more relaxed, but I could tell she was shying away from her left side. I knew it hurt. I wanted to fix it. I wanted to help her more than anything in the world, but when it came to medicine, I was useless. It frustrated me.  
There were so many things about her that I hadn't noticed, though. Like her ears being pierced, and her scar on her right temple. It was small, but I noticed it. I noticed it and I liked it.  
I found myself absorbing every little detail about her face that I could. I wanted her to open her eyes so that I could see them again, even if they were just grey, but I wanted to see them. Then again, they weren't just grey. They were siver. Such a beautiful, pure shade of silver. Yumichika waved his hand in front of my face. "Hey. Don't get any ideas."  
"Shut up." I swatted his hand away. "I'm just wondering about the stitches."  
He scoffed. Standing up, he straightened his robes. "If that's what you call it... whatever. I'm going to see Ikkaku. You'd better tell me when she wakes up."

I decided that the best option for sleeping arrangements would be for me to sleep outside of Michiru's room. There was no night watch at the infirmary, which troubled me. So I gathered up my things and made a mini-stake out next to her door.  
After checking that the windows were locked in her room, I dug out my favorite robe to sleep in. I hadn't taken it with me to Karakura for fear that I might leave it there-it was just too damn comfortable. Thankfully, there was no one in the hallways. Michiru was the only patient in the wing of the hospital, so I took advantage of the empty rooms. I snagged blankets and pillows from the unused beds, grabbed a fresh towell, and proceeded to make my own little paradise on the floor. Finally, with my hair down and in my favorite sleepwear, I was ready to rest. Sleep was much needed, but it took me a moment to get comfortable. I rooted around for a moment, questioning my pillow arrangement, until I smashed into the thin wall between me and Michiru's room. The room rattled and I cursed.  
I peered around the door frame to check on her, making sure I hadn't disturbed her, but she seemed ok. So I went back to my arranging. I put Zabimaru in reach and settled into my spot comfortably.  
Within moments, I heard shuffling. Was she up? Did I wake her up?  
Confused, I peeked around again, and this time she was sitting up on the edge of the bed, looking around and lucid. She spotted me instantly.  
"Renji?" she asked meekly. My mind froze. She said my name, and the sound brought all functions to a halt. I blinked for a moment before I realized that I needed to help her.  
"Don't get up, please," I told her, stumbling to her side. I nearly dropped Zabimaru on the way, indstead placing him on her nightstand. "You should lay down."  
She laughed. "I've been laying down for too long, I know," she murmured. "How long?"  
"Almost five days now." I sat down next to her, nervously straightening my robe. "Everyone's been wondering about you."  
"Well...they shouldn't be..." She stretched her legs slowly, and I realized that the hospital gown was...rather short. I stared up at the ceiling. "Can you take me home?" she asked.  
I almost laughed. "Michiru, I can't take you anywhere until Unohana gives you the okay. Until then, you need to hang out here," I told her. She sighed.  
"But it's cold here," she said, but she wasn't whining. I looked down to see if I was sitting on her blanket, but yet again, my eyes were drawn to her legs. More accurately, what was on her legs. The tattoos. I tried not to stare. I tried so hard not to look, especially since they were on her thighs, but I was curious. They looked familiar in some way. "Where did you get those?" I asked, curiosity overcoming my social tact.  
She blushed brightly and covered up with a blanket quickly. "They're nothing. Just something from Rukongai. Nothing."  
"Sorry." I couldn't manage any other word. She scratched at the bandage on her head anxiously. "Can I take this off?" she asked, and I nodded. Such a shallow wound was probably ok by now. But she cringed when she tried to reach up and I remembered the wound on her left side.  
"Here. Let me get it," I said, unwrapping the bandage carefully. This put her in extremely close proximity with me.  
I struggled. I really, truly struggled with the sensation it gave me. It was a mixture of warmth and pure agony. Like someone was literally standing on my chest, holding a hot ember inches from my face. That kind of warmth. My facade fell. It crumbled like sand when she turned to look at me. "What's wrong?" she asked. I struggled to find an answer, biting my lip to keep from saying something stupid. "I'm fine. Really."  
I tossed the bandage into the trash bin, picking one last bit of gauze out of her hair. "You're warm," she commented when my hand brushed her arm. "I wish I was. It's always so cold here."  
And there was the opportunity I was looking for. It was wide open. This was the perfect time to say hey, let me warm you up. Let me hold you. Let me be close to you. As much as I wanted to forget it, I knew that was what I was fishing for.  
"C'mere," I said, scooting around so that my back was against the wall. Her bed was wedged into the corner and it made a perfect place for me to lean into. But she seemed worried, looking up at me from the edge of the bed as if she had done something wrong.  
I picked up her other blanket and spread it out again, throwing it around her shoulders and tugging on her gently. She came closer timidly. Turning so that her right side was beneath her, she curled up against my chest, her head nestling into my collarbones. I wrapped the blanket around us tightly.  
I could feel how tense she was, and it bugged me.  
"See, this is a lot better, right?" I asked, struggling to make her feel comfortable. She was still scared of me. After what I'd said to her, I'd be scared, too. Guilt plagued me for what I'd said.  
She nodded, settling into a comfortable spot. "I can't have you getting cold, y'know," I told her. It was an excuse to put my arms around her. "You've got to get better. And fast. You've got big things to do."  
"Like what?" she asked softly.  
"I don't know. But rest."  
She finally curled up, settling into the gap between me and the wall. I wasn't quite sure what it was that I felt when I looked down at her. It wasn't anything romantic in the least; it was something proud.  
Holding her there, I felt strong. Like I was doing something right. At least, I hoped I was.


	10. Chapter 10

**** Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't updated in such a long time... I've written a good bit though, and here it is! And here's the song I was listening to while I wrote it, if you want to take a listen! It's all in Japanese though :3 but it sets the mood. It's "Hanabi" by Ikimono Gakari. Happy snow days! ****

***MICHIRU***

***3 Days Later***

Snippets of my hair drifted to the floor in front of me. I cringed with every tuft that fell past me, wishing that I hadn't asked Yumi to cut my hair. He elbowed me.  
"Stop cringing. You asked me to cut it, and I'm going to cut it right," he growled. "Don't you want to look even more beautiful?"  
"That depends...How much are you cutting off?" I asked him.  
He gathered up a large remaining chunk of my hair, one that he proceeded to show me was still as long as it was originally, and sheared it off in one clip. "That's how much I'm cutting off," he said indignantly. I gasped as he dropped the handful in my lap. That was ALL of my hair. "He really hacked your hair up. So one side is going to be really, really short."  
"One side?"  
"Hush, let me work."  
I sighed and gave up. There was no way I was going to talk him out of something he found aesthetically appealing. If he liked it, and he thought it would make me some kind of goddess of beauty, then whatever. I could stand a little change.  
He brushed the rest of my hair over to the left side of my face, cutting extremely close to my scalp on the right side of my head. He flipped a little tag of longer hair over my shoulder. It was still elbow length, attached right in front of my ear like a little tail. He flipped a second one over the other shoulder.  
"What are these?" I asked, tugging at them. They felt like antennas to me.  
"Don't question me, Michiru," he warned me gently. "I promise it'll look wonderful."  
I let him work for a few more minutes until he stopped cutting. He primped and fluffed my hair for a moment, walking around in front of me to inspect his work. "Perfect, as always. Here." He held a mirror up in front of me.  
I nearly panicked. Just nearly. There was maybe an inch of hair left on the entire right side. The back of it began to lengthen bit by bit to the left until it reached my chin, where it was its longest. The natural wave in my hair was nearly invisible with this hair cut. "Yumi, my hair is gone," I said quietly. He rolled his eyes. "Michiru, it looks wonderful. I don't see what's wrong with it." He fished for something in his pocket, withdrawing two golden cuffs. "Here. I meant to put these in. Maybe you'll like this better."  
He tied one into the little trails of hair on either side, and when he dropped them they jingled quietly. So now I was a cat toy.  
"I think you look absolutely lovely," he squealed. He was obviously proud of himself. "I got it off this magazine I stole from the human world. Some kind of thing called Vogue. They called it...an a-frame? I think?"  
He handed me the magazine. It confused me, really, that the women were wearing such odd outfits, but if he liked it I wasn't going to bother him. I saw my haircut on a particularly tall girl in the center of the book. It looked much better on her.  
"Can I go now?" I asked. I shifted uneasily, feeling my ribs twinge in pain. The wound hadn't healed over totally yet.  
"If you must. Oh, and here." He pulled out another tiny golden cuff, but this one was obviously an earring. He jabbed it into the only piercing I had-thankfully, it went through without a hitch. The cuff fit around the top part of my ear snugly.  
The paper door rattled and slid back, revealing Ikkaku. He looked particularly chipper for some reason, grinnning from ear to ear, as he made his way over to me. "You look nice," he told me, quickly wrapping his arm around my shoulder as I stood up. "Do you feel any better?"  
Yumichika shot me a look. This was highly uncharacteristic of Ikkaku, and we both knew it. "I feel ok," I murmured. I squirmed in his grip. "Good." He ruffled my hair. "Well. Tomorrow, you're going to have to head over to see Captain General. Important stuff and whatnot. So get all spiffed up and get ready," he told me. The words didn't quite click. I wondered for a moment about what he meant, and why Captain General was relevant to the situation. Yumichika shook his head.  
"Are you dense, Michiru?" he asked, sighing. "Captain General. Promotion. You."  
Ikkaku shook my shoulder gently. "And don't you know your Academy graduation is soon? About a month, and you'll be done," he said. "You know the last semester is short."  
I stood still for a moment. Everything began to fall into place in my head - Captain General wanted to see me, I was going to graduate soon. Captain General had something important to tell me. "Shit," I blurted. Ikkaku burst into laughter, finally letting go of me.  
"How rude," Yumi muttered, but he snickered too. But the truth of the matter was that I needed to get my act together. Injuries or not, I had a lot of work to do, and this whole deal with Captain General was surely some kind of squad placement or punishment. Which, I wasn't sure. I knew I didn't want the punishment end.  
"You're behind on the schedule, aren't you?" Ikkaku asked, turning toward the door. "I guess if I was in a coma for 5 days I would be too. But anyway. You should go get a new uniform made. Something. This is important."  
Yumichika agreed. "You should. And go take a bath, by the way..."  
I glared. "Why? I took one this morning!"  
"Well, you have all these little hair snippets all over you, and that's just not attractive."  
Ikkaku rolled his eyes and continued out the door, chuckling down the hallway. Yumichika shoved a towel in my hand.  
"Well, go on," he urged. "I'll take you to town later to get you a new uniform."


	11. Chapter 11

**** Hellos! I'm back again, with a super-drama crazy bipolar Renji episode. Gonna warn you guys, it may get super OOC. He seems like he changes his mood a lot to me anyway, though. **

**The songs for this chapter are "Drumming Noise" by Florence and the Machine, and "Sassafras" by The Devil Wears Prada. :3 Thanks to Kiwi-kiwi-kii, Lyssalyssa, pjmunky, the anonymous person, JJ-Jefferu, Sweet and Deadly, and SmilexForxBleach for being such snazzy reviewers and readers! :D Love you guys. Here goes! ****

That night, I tossed restlessly. My bunk felt uncomfortable. I was anxious, worried, scared, and many, many other things. My mind raced, and I stared up at the ceiling nervously. Even my blankets felt scratchy and uncomfortable against my skin.  
I couldn't fathom what the Captain General wanted to speak to me for. Or what he had to say to me, for that matter. I didn't know if I was in trouble, or if he was going to give me some kind of reward, which was rare. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in trouble, though.  
I had jumped on Gin without assessing the situation. Yumichika had been wounded, and Renji, Hisagi, Iba, and Ikkaku endangered. Along with that entire section of Karakura town. Thankfully, nothing but the vegetable market was destroyed.  
Dealing with Gin also wasn't my order. I was there to deal with Arrancars, and nothing else. And lowly Arrancars at that. So what had I done right?  
I'd killed off Wonderweiss, for one. I had sort of defended the Assistant Captains, and I'd killed a ton of other creatures with my bankai. I had at the very least scathed Ichimaru. Probably made him mad. Suddenly, I noticed someone's presence. It was subdued. Relaxed, even. My door rattled gently and slid back. "Michiru?"  
I froze. The voice shocked me, sent my mind reeling. I clutched at my sheets wildly, trying to cover myself, flying into panic mode. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly, peering around my door. "Y-yes," I stuttered. I realized that the only thing I had on was my white robe. I wrapped my blanket around my torso, sitting up quickly. Renji stepped into my room rather boldly, obviously not concerned with modesty. He wasn't dressed, either, but he didn't seem to care. His robe was the familiar grey and floral printed one he'd worn in the hospital that night.  
He shut the door behind him quietly. "So..." he murmured. "I can't sleep."  
"Neither can I," I told him. I struggled to keep my mind on track. What in the world was he doing in my room?  
"Can I sit down with you?"  
He motioned toward the end of my bed. I nodded nervously, scooting my feet up to make room for him. His hair was down, I noticed, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It fell slightly over his shoulders and down his back like red silk. I was slightly jealous.  
After a moment, he situated himself so that he sat cross-legged in front of me, our knees touching, and he tugged the end of my blanket into his lap and around his hips. "Talk to me," he said, twisting his hands into the blanket. Was he cold?  
"About what, Renji?" I asked. He shrugged. "I don't know. Tell me about something you did today."  
I looked around my room. I knew I had done something important, got some sort of item, but my mind couldn't find the right word. There, in the corner of my room, it was on a hanger. What was that thing...? I knew the word. I struggled for it for a moment until I blurted it out.  
"I got a new...uniform," I said, nodding to the corner. "Yumichika got it for me, actually. To wear tomorrow."  
I glanced at him for approval, to see if this interested him, but he only stared at me. He wasn't disinterested, but I couldn't tell what exactly he was trying to do. His eyes were focused intently on mine. "And Yumi cut my hair. I'm not really sure what to think of it though. It's awfully short," I continued. He reached up to me, brushing the hair back from my eyes gently. "I guess I just have to get used to it."  
I could feel the blush creeping across my face slowly, but he only smirked. "It's perfect," he said. He tugged at the blanket gently, pulling a bit of it from my hands. "I didn't really do much today, other than that," I said, watching his hands. He pulled at the blanket again. "Are you cold?"  
He shook his head. "Not at all."  
"Then what are you...?"  
He pulled it out of my hands, finally, sliding the end of the blanket behind his back and into his other hand. "Tell me something, Michiru," he started, rising to his knees. He leaned forward, wrapping one arm around my torso carefully. I wasn't sure what to do-I went with his movements, unfolding my legs as he pressed us back into my bed. "Yes?" I whispered. I couldn't breathe. I could feel his hair fall over his shoulders and against my cheek, just as soft as his satin robe. He reached back to pull my blanket up to our waists, propping himself up on his elbows as he settled against my body. I stared up at him wide-eyed. My heart thudded, loud enough that I was sure he could hear it, too. "Tell me how you did it," he said lowly. His hand slid under my arm, gently tugging it up and around his neck. "Did what?"  
"Tell me how you made me fall in love with you."  
But he didn't let me answer. His lips brushed mine timidly, and he looked back down at me, questioning my reaction. I was stunned. "I don't...I don't know w-what you mean," I choked. I knew he could feel me trembling beneath him. "I thought-"  
His eyes narrowed, and I silenced. I had said something wrong.  
"I shouldn't be here," he said suddenly. Again, my mind shut down. His mercurial mood was something I couldn't keep up with. "But you just got here-"  
"I know this." He sat up, flinging my covers back angrily. "But I shouldn't have come here in the first place."  
He started for the door. Everything in my body told me to stop him, to keep him from walking out on me, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I struggled to sit up, trying to put together a plan in my head before his hand reached the door.  
"Renji, wait," I pleaded. He paused momentarily, maybe a foot from my door. "Just don't go. Not yet."  
"Why?" he growled. "This isn't good. For either of us. Go back to bed, Michiru." He slid the door open.  
For once, I managed to make my mind work with my body. I ran. I ran to his side, snagging his shoulder gently as he stepped out of my room. "Maybe it can be," I continued. He stopped to look down at me, taking my hand off his shoulder with a careful grip. He didn't let go.  
"So tell me how."  
I sighed. There was one ultimatum that I could think of, and I didn't like it. "Either you come back inside and we talk this out, or you go on and we end up like this for a long time. And personally, I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be...wrapped up in someone that I can't have. And I don't want to be antagonized about it. Because if we let this go on like this...neither one of us are going to make it through the next fight. Not with all this dr-"  
He placed his hand over my mouth. "I get what you're trying to say. But do you stop to think about what will happen if...if someone finds out about this?"  
"What can they do to you, Renji? Absolutely nothing! Not one fucking thing!" I hissed. "Do you think they'll dethrone you or something? They can't touch you!"  
"YOU, Michiru, are still a STUDENT. And it's HIGHLY discouraged for me to be fooling around with you!"  
"For one more month! Maybe not even that long!" We silenced. I could feel his grip tighten on my wrist angrily, but then he dropped it. Instead, he reached up to rub his eyes anxiously. "So what you're saying is, you want to hide this?"  
"No! That's not what I'm trying to say at all... What I'm trying to get you to do is come back and just talk it out with me! Is it that hard?"  
"Just to talk."  
"Just talk. That's it."  
He glared down at me. "I could end this right here, you know."  
For a moment, I thought it was a death threat. I took a step back from him, my feet sinking into the wet morning grass. "I could walk away right now, and order god-knows-who to keep you the hell away from me. For as long as I'm still breathing." He said it through gritted teeth, and I took another step back. I began to think he was going to kill me-right there, in the courtyard of the barracks. It would indeed solve all the problems, but I knew he didn't have it in him. What had we really, in all honesty, done wrong?  
"But something tells me I need to come back inside with you," he finished, and his tense shoulders dropped. He sighed heavily. "I don't know what it is, but it won't let me leave you."  
The relaxation in his body language was more expressive than his tone. He straightened his robe calmly, then reached out to nudge me toward the door. "So you're coming back?" I asked.  
"For a bit."


	12. Chapter 12

****I'm on a roll! I've written a ton of new stuff to post, so get ready for it! Just a little fluff before things get serious with Michiru and the Gotei. Song for this chapter is, ironically, "Have Faith In Me" by A Day To Remember. Stick around, and hey, tell me what you think is gonna happen at this whole court gathering shindig! :D I would like to know what you think. Thanks for reading! ****

"You mean you and Momo were in the same class?"  
Renji nodded, hooking his hands behind his head. He gazed up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Yeah. Me, Momo, Rukia, and Kira. Rukia wasn't ever with us, though. Not really sure how to explain that. I guess she just had different core classes than we did."  
I had no clue how long we'd been talking. After he came back inside, I'd offered him tea, and we'd sat down to talk. He gladly accepted the tea even though it was cold. We'd been sitting in my floor for what I guessed to be an hour or two. Well, more accurately, he was lounging on my stash of pillows next to me.  
We got past the serious stuff faster than I thought we would. "Considering your current position in the Academy, and that I'm not exactly a 'teacher'... I guess I shouldn't really have a problem with all of this," he'd said, "but I can't help thinking about Captain Kuchiki and what he'll think about it."  
"But he can't really do anything about it. There's no rules on it," I'd told him. We'd agreed that it probably wasn't a good idea to be "together" yet. Not in front of everyone, anyway. It would be easier just to see each other and pal around, romance each other a good bit, instead of focusing directly on a relationship. It was more like an extremely casual relationship. At least until I got my position in the Companies figured out, even if the decision was going to be made tomorrow. I'd still have to get used to the company and all the people in it. He'd also apologized for confusing the hell out of me, which involved the whole kiss thing earlier. But after that, I ended up talking to him like I would Ikkaku or Yumichika. It felt so much easier now that we were on the same page. "Momo looks so much younger than you, though," I said. He shot me a look.  
"So I look old?" he asked. He smirked. "You look ancient," I joked. He acted hurt. "Well. I see what you think of me." He swept his hair over his shoulder dramatically. "I must be hideous," he said, sticking his nose up in the air.  
"I'm just jealous is all. You and your hideousness. I wish I was that ancient."  
He chuckled and sat up next to me. It was silent for a moment as he reached out to brush my hair back, his dark eyes focusing on mine. "Hey. You, there," he said lowly. "What?"  
"Lay back here with me." He tugged me down gently, letting my back rest against his chest and stomach tightly. "I want to hold you."  
I couldn't resist. I nestled against him, letting his arm slip around my waist, and he kissed the back of my head. "Why do you want to hold me?" I asked, almost ashamed to be curious. "Because you're beautiful."  
I let myself smile. It was time to revel in something that I loved, and this was it. Even though I still blushed like a nervous school girl, I was comfortable. I loved his warmth at my back. His arm around my waist seemed to fit there. Everything from our shoulders to our hips and even our feet fit together snugly, and even his breath on the back of my neck was calming. "When will I get to see you again?" I asked, suddenly curious. He thought for a moment, running his hand over the curve of my waist. "Meet me tomorrow night. At the south gate. I want to take you somewhere," he told me. He tugged on my shoulder, so I rolled over to look at him. "Will you?"  
"I will. I promise."  
"Good." He scooted the slightest bit closer to me, bringing out faces closer together. "It's nice. Bring something to swim in."  
"To swim in?"  
He nodded. "You'll see. Just trust me. Now, can I ask you to do one more thing?" His hand came up to my neck, cupping it gently.  
"Anything," I said quietly. He hesitated for a moment. His fingertips traced over my collarbones lightly, pausing over the hem of my robe. "Kiss me?"  
My breath caught in my throat. I could feel my chest tighten with anxiety. What if I screwed it up? "Don't be scared," he murmured. His eyes searched mine. I scooted closer so that our foreheads were touching lightly. His breath was warm on my cheeks, quickening by the second. He was as anxious as I was. But I could feel myself moving. I knew that I wanted to kiss him more than anything in the world, but I couldn't make myself calm down. He nuzzled his nose against mine. I let my eyes close, my lips searching for his, until I felt them brush together lightly. He inhaled sharply, his arm slipping back over my waist more tightly now. I half-expected him to back away suddenly. But his hold on my waist only tightened as we kissed again.  
His lips pressed more firmly against mine. Feeling bold, I slid my arm around his ribs, linking my ankle with one of his. He teased me for a moment, pulling away to make me hunt for his lips again. "See?" he whispered against my lips. He pressed butterfly kisses to my mouth gingerly. "Nothing to be scared of."  
"I'm not scared," I said, bumping our foreheads together. "I'm just-"  
He cut me off, kissing me again. "Scared to mess it up?" he finished, his hand exploring my waist curiously. "You're far from it."  
"Really?"  
"Would I still be doing this if I didn't like it?" His lips pressed against mine harder, almost lustfully. I shivered against him from the sensation. "Don't second guess yourself because of me," he said lowly, his hand stroking the small of my back. "You're beautiful. Now be confident about it. And be confident about everything you do. From now on." I nodded fearfully. He was dead serious, but his eyes still drifted to my lips and back. He smiled contendedly, snuggling me closer. "I will," I told him, pecking him on the lips lightly. "I promise."  
"Good." He ruffled my hair gently, but sat up and began to straighten his robe. "I need to get back to my room, Michiru," he said reluctantly. "It's late."  
"But...you've only been here for a little while," I objected. I struggled for a reason for him to stay. "Please. Don't leave me..."  
He pulled me up to sit with him. "You'll see me tomorrow," he told me, running his fingers through my short hair. "I don't want to leave either, to be honest."  
"Then don't. Stay with me. Just for tonight," I pleaded. "Nobody has to know."  
He paused as he stood up, reaching back down to caress my cheek lovingly. "You're right. But I won't be here when you wake up," he warned. "I don't care. Just stay with me."  
"Alright." He sat down on my bed. "But don't expect me to do it again."

The six a.m. bell jarred me out of sleep. It wasn't unpleasant, but I didn't want to be disappointed when I found the other side of the bed empty. I guess I have to, I thought, sitting up slowly. The sun was just beginning to filter through my windows. It warmed the pillows and sheets deceivingly-I wanted to picture that he was still there. Still curled around me tightly. Something red caught my eye. There, on the other pillow, was a red hibiscus. I couldn't help but smile. He'd left me something to let me know he had really been there. I wasn't dreaming. He was just as real as the flower laying there, and it was comforting. Carefully, I placed it in a dish of water on my table. I couldn't stop looking at it. Even as I put on my new uniform, I glanced over at my shoulder at it, smiling to myself as the bloom drifted around on top of the water. I wondered where he found it, and when he'd left it. But I still had things to do. I grabbed Egonoki, throwing on my sandals, and headed for high court.


	13. Chapter 13

****O hai! I'm really excited about all the reviews I've been getting! Thank you guys so much (you know who you are :3 ) for reviewing and saying such nice things. So here's Michiru's court session, and just a warning, I wrote this early in the morning. It may be a little stilted. And sorry about the bad formatting :l I'm trying to space it out so maybe it's easier to read? But here you go! Enjoiplees. ****

***RENJI***

Captain Kuchiki eyed me suspiciously as I exited my room. Which, honestly, wasn't really that much different from his other expressions. It was very nearly that same apathetic, half-lidded look that he gave everyone. But something told me he knew where I'd been.

The court bell rang again, and I ignored the look. Today was Michiru's placement. He couldn't afford to be pissed off at me through the whole ceremony; it'd ruin his image. So I shuffled on, tying my hair up as I went. I counted the bell tolls-2 for summoning, 3 for the beginning of the ceremony, and 5 for the end- and it still rang twice. I was on time.

When we reached the main court, it hit me just how thin our ranks were. Each captain and assisstant captain was supposed to be there, but a certain three captains were missing and two assisstants still recovering. Not to mention that Iba and Hisagi were still in the human world with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto to keep patrol. That didn't leave much to vote with, but I couldn't do anything about it.

Yamamoto sat in his normal place atop his little podium, papers in hand. He signaled for one more bell to ring about the time Kurotsuchi slinked his way in through the back door. Half of the captains glared at him as he took his place.

Six guards pushed the front door open, allowing Michiru to pass between them. I could immediately feel how nervous she was, but I didn't flinch. She passed between our ranks slowly, holding her head high and doing her absolute best to seem confident. And she did well.

I knew she could feel everyone's eyes on her back as she made her way to the tile square in front of Yamamoto's podium. Even Zaraki showed some interest in her, squinting his uncovered eye at her as she passed by him. I wondered if his hair doubled as little radio antennae for spiritual pressure.

At Yamamoto's command, the large doors shut, and the room dimmed considerably. Michiru bowed respectfully to Yamamoto, but he seemed unaffected. He motioned for her to step aside and face us.

"As most of you know," he began, "we are in dire straits. A situation that we thought we could handle has quickly uprooted even our largest efforts. We desperately need the cooperation of everyone in the Seireiti. The Companies, the blacksmiths, the medics, everyone."

The room shifted uneasily. It was a disturbing topic, even to Zaraki.

"In our time of need, we have come across a rarity. A student who posesses the skills and capabilities of captain rank. She has displayed an amazing skillset, and is the very top of her class in the Academy. Her scores far surpass those of her peers, from kidou to combat. I am not praising her to gain your vote, but I am stating a very obvious fact. Michiru Kobe is needed desperately in some position in the Gotei, and I am prepared to appoint her to the position you see fit."

Michiru stared back at the front doors, trying to take her eyes off the crowd in the room. Lined shoulder to shoulder, the captains and assistants were a threatening sight, and I knew that some of us intimidated her. She didn't dare glance at me, but all eyes in the room were on her, which included my own.

I was sure they noticed how well she presented herself. Slobs weren't well tolerated in the upper ranks, but she gave them no reason to think of her as one. Her new uniform was tailored to fit, and instead of a traditional obi, a white silk wrap cinched in her waist from her ribs to her hips. Which, I noticed, was incredibly flattering. I bit my lip and focused on her sandals as Yamamoto continued.

"I ask you, and I will only ask once, to vote her into a ranking position. I also ask that someone who witnessed her time with Ichimaru, Assistant Captain Abarai, bear testimony to her actions. Abarai?"

I snapped to attention involuntarily. It was something that came naturally after years of service. "Sir?"

"Please come forward and present your findings."

Findings. I tripped up on his sentence, wracking my brain for the meaning behind "findings". Was I the one supposed to be evaluating her?

I stepped forward to where he indicated, which was only a few feet in front of Michiru. Focus shifted to me, but I didn't particularly care. I just had to find a way to sound like I had actually been surveying her actions. Which I hadn't. But surely, Reasearch had some information.

"Michiru was...promising from the day I met her, back when I taught at the Academy," I began. I forced the gears in my brain to turn. Surely, I could sound like I knew what I was doing. "Her potential was amazing, and I'm proud to say that she has made use of that potential. I was not there for the beginning of her altercation with Gin Ichimaru, the former Captain of Third Company. But when I arrived, she had already began to handle the situation extremely well."

"How did you know where to find her?" Yamamoto asked from behind me. I felt like a suspect in a murder crime suddenly, and nearly let my facade crack.

"I heard her bakudou when it reached me. It was garbled, but I knew she was trying to ask for help," I answered.

"Which bakudou, Michiru?

Michiru took a deep breath. "Bakudou 58, sir. Kakushitsuijaku," she said clearly, trying to sound a little more confident than she was.

Yamamoto seemed pleased, asking me to continue. "Unfortunately, Yumichika Ayasegawa had suffered a serious wound from Ichimaru, and was unconscious for most of the event. Tetsuzaemon Iba, Shuhei Hisagi, and I prepared to flank Ichimaru as she fought. But she handled the situation very well. Ichimaru suffered numerous wounds, mainly from her bankai, which I was unaware she was capable of. Ikkaku Madarame arrived to assist her as-"

He stopped me again. "Describe to us her bankia, Abarai," he ordered. He squinted down at me from under his bushy eyebrows.

I took a deep breath, but didn't struggle recalling her bankai. It wasn't something I could easily forget. "Kinjiri Egonoki is an amazing, frightening thing," I began. I could tell that the whole room was intently listening now, interested in what her bankai could do. Especially Zaraki. "It's nothing I've ever seen before. Gold, ice, glass, something. And capable of engulfing and shattering anything it comes into contact with, including flesh. Its sound is decieving, but when called upon... I don't have words to describe it, sir. In all honesty, I don't know what to tell you about it. Except for it's shaped sort of like a scimitar and a snowbell tree."

Yamamoto sat back in his chair, but seemed satisfied with my poor explanation. I felt like I had ruined her shot at captain with such a lousy description, but the room buzzed with quiet murmurs. Yamamoto motioned for Kurotsuchi to step forward.

"Research was charged with documenting her evaluation, and any time her spiritual pressure surged, she was to be put under surveillance. Captain Kurotsuchi, I assume you have something to show us?" he asked, and Kurotsuchi slithered up to the podium.

He placed something that resembled an eyeball with tentacles on the floor in front of us, mashing on the bottom of it, and a white image appeared on the back of the front doors. "I have a few things," Kurotsuchi hissed, pulling out a tiny remote. He pressed a few buttons until Michiru's image appeared on the doors.

The image became a video as a sky view of Michiru hacking through Wonderweiss spilled across the screen. Kurotsuchi explained his method of surveillance as the video played through to where she was defending herself against Ichimaru, and the entire crowd totally forgot about Kurotsuchi's commentary.

Her hand-to-hand combat was impressive, especially against someone quick and sneaky like Ichimaru, but everyone was waiting to see her bankai. Even Yamamoto tuned out Kurotsuchi as she lept back from Ichimaru, readying for bankai.

There wasn't a word to be said as her bankai nearly tore through Ichimaru. Everyone saw it, and there was no arguing with the video evidence.

The video reached its end when she collapsed, and Kurotsuchi stomped the contraption with a wet squish noise. Unohana glared at him. "Disposable camera," he explained, then turned to Yamamoto, scraping the bottom of his foot off discretely. "That's all I have."

Yamamoto ushered him away. "The images speak for themselves." He motioned for me to return to my spot next to Captain Kuchiki. "Michiru, I ask you to leave the room with the Assistant Captains as we place our vote. We will call for you when we have made our decision," he told her, and gestured toward the door.

We filed out of the room one by one, but Michiru paused to watch as the court doors slammed closed behind her. She knew her fate was sitting at the podium, wondering when his next tea session would be.

Not long after the doors shut, Yumichika and Ikkaku found their way up the stairs to where we were gathered. Yumichika went immediately to Michiru's side as if he was protecting her. "Have they said anything yet?" he asked in a frantic whisper, tugging on her sleeve.

"Not yet," she sighed.

Ikkaku took her other side, elbowing her playfully. "You can't lose at this point," he told her, trying to cheer her up. "It's 3rd seat and up. Nothing less."

"That's not for certain," she corrected him. "It's all up to the captains now."

Before Ikkaku could argue, Yachiru had latched onto him. "Hey! Pachinko ball!" she squealed, yanking on his sleeve.

Michiru looked up at me. She something from me. What, I wasn't sure. But she still pleaded with her silver eyes for me to come closer.

"Don't worry too hard," I told her, struggling to look away from her gaze. Looking down only sent my eyes past her slightly-more-revealing top and tiny, cinched in waist, so I found myself watching Yachiru color on Ikkaku furiously. "I know I didn't do a great job of speaking for you but-"

"You did fine," she muttered. She leaned against the fence of the courtyard, gazing out over the Seireiti longingly. She didn't want to be here.

"You certainly look the part," Yumichika bragged, jingling one of her hair ornaments. "Thanks to SOMEONE..."

"I know, Yumi," she said, but her smile faded. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to tell her everything was fine, that she didn't have to worry, but I would be lying to her. But I still wanted to comfort her. It took an incredible amount of restraint not to run to her and snatch her up into my arms.

"Ya know, you kind of stole Isane's haircut," Ikkaku commented, wiping orange marker off his forehead. He shooed at Yachiru, who continued to color on his feet.

Isane glanced over at us. "Not really. Hers is much shorter. And...bluer," Isane said. "She doesn't really look like me at all. She looks more like...I don't know. More like Matsumoto in the face than me."

Michiru cringed. I knew she wasn't particularly fond of Matsumoto, but it wasn't an insult in the least. Of course, I found no resemblance.

"No, no, no, she looks more like Yoruichi!" Yumichika argued. "In the eyes, I mean. Too pale, otherwise."

"Let's not argue about me, please," Michiru blurted. The courtyard silenced. "I've had enough of all this...I don't know. Talk, I guess you could call it. All this talk about me. I can't take it, guys. I just can't."

Her voice broke. I could tell she was about to cry, but so could Yumichika and Ikkaku. They were around her like a wall in an instant, ready to tear someone's head off. But I could see her shivering slightly behind them, wringing her hands nervously. She needed me. I couldn't stand there and watch her panic.

"Michiru, come walk with me," I said sternly, hoping that to the rest of the group it sounded like an order. She nodded slowly, nervously, and began to follow me.

We started down the long staircase that led to the base of the court tower. The stone of the tower was warm, and it radiated off the building in a comforting temperature. She basked in it, taking a deep breath as we walked.

"Thank you," she sighed, knowing that we were out of earshot of the rest of the group. "I needed to get away from that."

"I know. You can't panic, though. It's not good for you," I told her. She chuckled.

"I'll try not to." She walked for a moment, silent, until she found something to say. "I found your flower you left," she said quietly. "It was beautiful."

"What flower?" I said sarcastically. She punched my shoulder, laughing.

"I think you know. Anyway, it means a lot to me," she continued. "But I need to ask you something."

"What?"

She squirmed for a moment. "I don't have anything to swim in," she said lowly, as if she was ashamed. "What do I do?"

"Swim in a t-shirt. I have one you can wear."

"A t-shirt?"

"Yeah. Like we wore in Karakura town."

She thought for a moment. "Oh. But aren't they short?" She blushed. "I don't want to-"

"You worry too much, Michiru," I told her. I ruffled her hair gently as we reached the bottom of the stairs. "Just let me handle it. Or have Yumichika take you shopping in the human world. Just don't worry, okay?"

She nodded, then glanced around quickly. Seeing that we were out of sight, she leaned up to kiss me on the cheek quickly, blushing the familiar bright pink. "Thank you," she said again, then turned to start up the stairs. "Let's see if they've said anything..."


	14. Chapter 14

**** HEY guys! Thanks for the AWESOME reviews, and I have to apologize for this chapter. It's short, stilted, but explains what happens after the meeting. I had a very, very rough week, and I'm really sorry if this chapter sucks. :c I tried, though, but I had a lot of other things on my mind... Anyway, read, lather, rinse and repeat :3 love you guys! ****

It was another hour after Michiru and I got back up the stairs until anyone gave us any word. The courtyard had been silent until then. Ikkaku stayed by Michiru, as did Yumichika, who was playing with her hair and flipping it every which way. She eventually swatted him away, which was about the time the doors parted.  
One of the guards motioned for us to come back in, and we took our original places.  
Yamamoto's Assistant Captain had something behind his back. He asked Michiru to come stand by him, so she took a spot next to him and turned to Yamamoto. She was anxious. Tired, even. She wanted out of the spotlight.  
"It was a controversial decision," Yamamoto sighed, shuffling down to the front of the podium. "But we have come to a conclusion that we feel is in the best interest of the Soul Society." He turned to Michiru, then motioned for his Assistant Captain to show what he had in his hands.  
The man unrolled a white robe, sleeveless, branded with the Ninth Company's insignia and lined with their color. It didn't sink in at first. Michiru stared at it for a moment, confused, until Yamamoto began to announce her placement.  
"Michiru Kobe, will you accept your position as Captain of the Ninth Company?" he asked, his voice booming over the gasps in the room. I wasn't so much surprised as I was proud. I wanted everyone else to be just as proud, but there were undoubtedly some that were jealous. Some that had been assistant captains for far too long, and felt that it should have been them holding the robe.  
She sputtered out an affirmative, taking the robe gingerly. She was in shock. Complete and utter shock. But I could understand. It wasn't every day that a fresh Academy recruit got to even be accepted as a non-ranked officer in the Gotei, but she had totally skipped the whole process of testing and being placed. She had been elected by Captain General herself to be a captain. "Then it's settled. You will meet with me this afternoon to be sworn in and go over your expectations and goals. I expect nothing less than perfection from you, Kobe," he said to her. He turned to the rest of us. "I know that these aren't the typical circumstances, and that this whole election was unorthodox, but I feel as though we have made the right choice. It's up to the rest of you to help her adjust in any way you can. Also, someone take her to 7th Company barracks so she can move in to her new captains quarters. I...have something to attend to."

* * *

Later that afternoon, I got word that Michiru was free from her meetings. She had been busy since the end of the meeting and I hadn't seen nor heard from her in hours. It was expected, though, so I busied myself with paperwork that was long overdue.  
I guessed that she would still meet me at the south gate like I asked her, so right before sundown, I started out. I took towels and a bento for both of us, which were easy to carry and the bento was pretty tasty. Ikkaku had mentioned once that she liked snow peas, so I put together a salad (the extent of my cooking skills) and white rice. Not much, but a snack.  
She was already waiting on me at the gate, peering around corners nervously. Her white robe was still new to her, and she straightened it constantly. "You're worrying again," I reminded her. She laughed nervously. "Of course I am..." she said quietly. "I don't want to ruin it right after I got it."  
I handed her the bento, leaving me an empty arm to wrap around her small waist. I had waited on the opportunity all day to do that, and waiting had made it even more satisfying. She stepped close as we began to walk, hugging the bento to her chest tightly. "Do you know where we're going?" I asked her.  
"I have no clue."  
"Good. Then you don't need to know until we get there," I said, and she sighed happily. But again, she straightened her robe. "And don't worry about that. There'll be plenty of places to put it."  
She finally quit fidgeting as we walked farther from the gate. I could feel her relax beneath my hand, and it made me comfortable. "Will I have to get a tattoo?" she asked, squirming again. "Like you guys have. For Gentei-"  
"Yeah. You kind of have to," I finished for her. She sighed. "It's not terrible. The man who does them is no where near as terrible as some of the guys in the Rukongai."  
"I know. I'm scared that they'll move me again, though. But now that I have a company, I don't want to move. I like this company already."  
I squeezed her gently. "That's a silly reason to be scared of a tattoo. Having that tattoo is...I don't know. Like a trophy. And to have multiple company tattoos is like having a resume, I guess. So it's not that big of a deal."  
"I'll look at it that way," she said, breaking into a grin. "I've had Rukongai tattoos, and they hurt. Terribly. They were traditionalists. With the whale bone needle and the little mallet..."  
"So that's where you got the tattoos on your legs?" I blurted.  
She freaked. "I didn't want you to see those. I'm not proud of them," she spilled. "I hate them."  
"Don't. There's no reason to. It's just part of your story. We all have one." I felt like an idiot at this point. She was embarrassed about them when I saw them in the hospital, so what made me think I could just spit out stupid questions like that?  
"Just...I don't know. I don't want them to change your opinion of me. What they stood for wasn't good. In the least."  
"They won't. It's something in the past. So don't, I SAY AGAIN, worry," I told her, squeezing her again. "Besides. I like women with tattoos."  
She giggled, settling back against me as we walked. We were close now, I knew, so I let her go to start unrolling the towels.  
"You see that big cluster of rocks over there?" I asked, pointing to the nearby grove. "That? Is that where we're going?"  
"Yep. Go look."  
She looked at me questioningly. "But it's just a bunch of rocks."  
"And that's where you're wrong. Go look on the other side, and then follow it."  
"Follow what?"  
"Just go look, silly," I told her, pushing her shoulders gently. She obeyed, climbing up and over the nearest cluster of rocks. I just hoped Yoruichi wasn't taking a catbath upstream from us.


	15. Chapter 15

****Hellur there, thank you so much to all the people who have favorited this story or added it to the alert list! :3 If I haven't sent you a personal thank you for reviewing it, let me know and I will send you a thank you message! The song for this chapter is "The Only Hope For Me Is You" by My Chemical Romance, and I hope you like this chapter. It's a good bit of fluff, just to give you a nice little rest before EVERYTHING GOES DOWNHILL... O.o.. Oyasumi nasai おやすみなさい for now! **

***MICHIRU***

The stream in front of me was incredibly clear. I could see the bottom of it and all the little mulitcolored rocks that decorated it, but there were no plants or algae. "Is this it?" I asked, getting curious. "I follow this east?"  
"Yep." Renji had already begun to head upstream. "It gets deeper. C'mon," he said, and I followed at his heels closely. The stream widened slightly as we walked along, deepening until I could see the edge of a pool. I could hear water rushing as we neared the pool. "Is there a waterfall?"  
"Maybe," he told me. He led me down a steep, rocky hill, helping me down onto a flat boulder. "Look for yourself."  
I stepped to the edge of the boulder, and the waterfall came into view. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't particularly tiny, and it flowed over the rocky outcrop we'd just walked around. It dropped over into a clear pool below us, just as pristine as the stream. I was almost speechless. Places like this one were hard to find in the Rukongai, especially in walking distance from the Seireiti. "Is it cold?" I asked, watching the water roll under the waterfall. It made a beautiful, hushed whisper that I wished I could hear for days. He laughed, unrolling his towels to lay them on the rock flat. "It's just a little chilly sometimes. But it should be kind of warm tonight. Since it was warm all day." He tossed me a grey lump. "Here's a t-shirt."  
"So where do I...?" I started, but he shrugged.  
"Find a tree, if it bothers you," he told me, smirking. He kicked his sandals off, untying his uniform. "I'll be right here."  
I skittered to the nearest tree, down below the rock we were on, and nervously slipped out of my captain's robe. I found a limb to hang it on before I threw the rest of my uniform back onto the rock. For the moment, I wasn't worried about my tattoos. It was the idea that all I had on was thin black underwear and a shirt that worried me. It couldn't be attractive. Renji peered over the edge of the rock. "You comin'?" he asked, climbing down to me. I tugged at the hem of the shirt, unconsciously trying to cover my tattoos. "I guess," I murmured. He didn't have much more on than I did. Just a pair of black shorts that I'd seen humans swimming in once or twice. I didn't know the word for them, but then again, it wasn't his clothes I was looking at. It was the rest of his body. He pulled on my hand gently. "C'mon, Michiru. We don't have all night," he grinned, and I followed him with no resistance. I couldn't resist if I wanted to. Every small motion he made moved a different set of muscles, especially in his shoulders and his arms. Even his skin was flawless and unblemished. His tattoos only made him more appealing, stretching from his face and down his neck, onto his shoulders and arms and chest. They even ran down his sides and under the hem of his shorts, where I wondered if they stopped. When he paused, I smashed into his back, distracted by the rest of him.  
The grass turned to smooth stone at the edge of the pool. He nudged me toward the water. "Go on," he said, testing it with his foot. "It feels warm."  
"You first," I countered. He stood there for a moment, swishing the water around with his foot. "Alright, if you're so chicken." He started into the water, but didn't drop my hand. "But you're coming with me."  
He snatched me into the water with him, laughing as I squealed and fell into his open arms. "What was that for?" I gasped, but he towed me farther out into the pool. "And what are you doing?"  
"You just needed some encouragement," he laughed, pulling me farther and farther out into the pool. I couldn't feel the rocky bottom now, and the temperature below my feet only decreased. We were in deep water. "I want to show you something else, anyway, and you were taking too long."  
He was dragging me toward the waterfall, I realized, and I started to get curious. "Is there something under there?"  
"Behind it. C'mon."  
He dropped my hand and dipped underwater, zipping off toward the waterfall. I had no clue he could swim that well. But I followed him, taking my time and enjoying the water. I could see up ahead that the shore began to slope upward again, so I surfaced, bracing to go under the falls.  
He was already behind it, shaking his hair out as I stumbled through. The cooler water left me shaken. "Did that not bother you at all?" I asked, shivering. "I'm used to it. But don't you like it back here?" He glanced around suggestively. "It's all...cave-ish. And small."  
The cave wasn't much bigger than my old room. It was kind of dark, but the moonlight filtered through the waterfall just enough to see that there was a small wicker box over to the side. The rock was smooth under my feet, too, which was a little surprising. I hadn't expected such a cozy little area.  
"It's nice," I mused, wringing my shirt out. "It's not loud in here at all."  
"It's pretty quiet. That's why I like it." He shook his hair out one more time, then reached for the box. "I don't remember what all I brought out here. I used to sleep out here sometimes, when I first moved into Sixth Company..." he trailed off as he rummaged through the box. "Sleep out here? But it's so chilly. And wet."  
"I had this," he said, and he unrolled a large blanket onto the floor of the cave. "And...this."  
He held up a small cup and bottle. Sake? "That'll certainly keep you warm," I laughed. He swished the bottle around for a moment.  
"I bet it's still good," he said, tearing the cork out. He sniffed at it apprehensively. "I only brought it out here a few weeks ago..."  
"It probably is." I made myself comfortable on the blanket, curling one corner around my legs. I couldn't stop shivering. "You're right," he said, flopping down next to me. "Sake doesn't go bad. I don't think. Um...maybe it does. Anyway." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him, pulling the end of the blanket over me. "You and this shivering. And to think you're all ice and snow when it comes to combat."  
"Who said that just because my bankai is icy that I like to be cold? I didn't." I curled up next to him comfortably. He was always, always warm, and I loved it. "That's Hitsugaya."  
He handed me a porcelain cup, which I assumed was filled with sake. "At any rate, ya don't need to be all cold," he told me. He brushed the wet hair out of my eyes. I agreed and snuggled into his hold, sipping at the cup slowly. I had never had cold sake, but it wasn't terrible, and it wasn't great. But it was something to drink, at least. He didn't seem to mind it in the least, nearly chugging it out of the bottle. "Leave some for me," I pleaded, elbowing him in the ribs jokingly. "Alcoholic."  
"Hey. I haven't had any since...I don't know...The last time Rangiku decided to make some, I guess," he objected. "So. I am not an alcoholic, miss. You would know it if I was." He scruffed my hair, placing the bottle over to the side. "And if I WAS a raging alcoholic..."  
I looked at him expectantly. "If you were...?"  
"I'd be stumbling all over the place, knockin' shit over, breakin' stuff..." He swayed us back and forth playfully. "Probably fall over all the time too. Like Kira that night that Hisagi bought a whole bunch of human liquor. That stuff...is pretty hard to stomach. I don't like it. But anyway, Kira got plastered, and every time he stood up..."  
He jerked us down suddenly so that we were lying on our backs next to each other. I nearly dropped my cup.  
"...He would fall flat on his back. Poor guy."  
I looked over at him, trying not to laugh. "That wasn't deliberate, was it?" I asked sarcastically. "I don't know. You tell me." His smirk only widened. I rolled up to my side, throwing my arm across his chest. "I think it was." "Oh really?"  
"Really." I traced over his tattoos timidly, trying to keep my head on straight. "Then you might be right," he told me, nudging me onto my back. He rolled with me, twisting so that his body lay on top of mine. "This is pretty deliberate, too, by the way." He supported himself on his elbows, but only enough to ease his weight. "I couldn't tell," I stuttered. I couldn't make myself do anything at this point. He had my motor skills and speech all jammed up, just by laying there and being...well...handsome. Gorgeous. "Don't be so nervous," he murmured, pulling himself up to his knees. He put his hands flat on the ground on either side of my shoulders, giving me room to scoot and get comfortable. "It's just you and me. Nobody else."  
I did the only thing that I could think of. I wrapped my arms around his thick shoulders, tugging him back down to me. I knew, looking in his eyes, that he just wanted to spend time with me. Not necessarily in a friendly, talk and drink kind of way, but he wanted to be around me. He wanted to kiss and touch and be held. Nothing more. And it was understandable. "I'm not nervous," I said, trying to find bravado. He dropped to one elbow, letting his other hand run the length of my waist and hips. "Just jittery."  
He leaned down to me slowly, kissing me on the end of the nose. "Don't be," he whispered. His lips dropped to mine, nuzzling me a kiss. I struggled to remember to breathe. His scent, though, made me want to inhale for hours. He smelled like citrus and a warm breeze. Like he always had. That, coupled with the texture of his skin and the feel of his lips on mine left me basically incapacitated. My mind was in sensory overload.  
I couldn't just lay there, though. So I took advantage of the situation. I let myself explore, tracing over his chest and his sides curiously. I could tell the slightest difference in texture where his tattoos started, could feel his ribs through his smooth skin. There wasn't anything that wasn't unique about him. Not even the tiniest features, like the color of his eyes, were mundane. Breaking our kisses, he backed up to look at me for a moment. "Y'know, I brought you a bento box, and I didn't even bring it over here," he mused, furrowing his brows. "Do you know how random you are?" I asked, laughing. Of all the times to think about a snack, he chose right then. "We can go get it, if you're that worried about it."  
"Nah. Just saying. If you wanted to go get it, though..."  
I pulled him back down to me, pressing our foreheads together. "I kind of like it here," I told him. His trademark smirk spread across his face. "I'm fond of it, myself."  
Needless to say, we didn't talk much more about it.


	16. Chapter 16

**** I apologize for how long it took me to post this chapter. : I can't tell you how much stuff I've been swamped with. But here you go, a little more fluff before a nasty cliffhanger! The song for this section is "Marionette" by Ayumi Hamasaki. Please check it out, it's a good song! :3 I'll try to get the next chapter posted ASAP! Thank you for the reviews and favorites and all that jazz, it means a lot to me! ****

It had to be sometime around midnight, I guessed, as I paddled around in the pool. I had gotten used to the water temperature finally. Renji sat not too far away on shore, watching me goof off and play. "Why don't you come back in?" I asked, treading water. He shrugged. "We've been swimming for an hour, Michiru. I don't want to get water-logged."  
"Water-logged?"  
"Yeah. When something soaks up too much water and it sinks."  
I flicked water at him playfully. "C'mon. It won't kill you."  
"You come up here. You still haven't touched your bento," he countered, grinning as he skipped a rock past me. "I didn't go buy snow peas to feed the fish."  
Snow peas. I perked up instantly, struggling to swim to shore faster. How did he know my favorite food already?  
"What did you make?" I asked, stumbling out of the water. He pulled the bento open, revealing a rather tasty-looking salad. With tons of snow peas. "I can't really cook. So I put this together. I guess it's a...garden variety salad? It's like a surprise salad, I guess. If salads can be surprising."  
He put the box down in front of me as I dried off, but watched me intently. "It looks good," I told him, hoping to disarm him. Was he that worried about it?  
"You think so? It's really all I know how to make," he admitted, tying his hair back up. He seemed relieved. "I hope it tastes as good as it looks."  
"I'm sure it does." I sat down across from him. I didn't realize that he could see the tattoos on my legs, but at the same time, I didn't care. What in the world was he going to say about them, anyway? That he didn't like them? If that was all I had to worry about, then it really didn't matter.  
He picked at the salad with me, his ceramic hashi clinking against mine occasionally. It was peaceful, really, the sound of the waterfall and his presence. And he was content, which was something that I picked up on immediately. It emanated. Like a warm fire.  
"Should we go back?" I asked, realizing how late it must be. The moon had slipped over the tree-line. He picked the very last leaf out of the bento box, munching it thoughtfully. "I guess," he answered. "You have to be up in the morning early, don't you?"  
"I do. And Hisagi is supposed to come back soon so I can talk things over with him."  
"Oh yeah. What did Yamamoto tell you, anyway? Just curious." He peered at me questioningly.  
I ran over the Captain General's speech in my head. When I'd met him, in 1st Company barracks, he'd offered me tea and sat down to talk business. Which, of course, was about my training and Hisagi and my authorities. I was still to train, but under another captain, and he didn't say whom. Also, I had to go back to Karakura Town... Just to meet Hisagi, I assumed. "I have to go back to Karakura, but I don't think I'll be there for long," I said. "I mean, I think I'm just supposed to go to meet Hisagi. I know Hitsugaya is already there with Rangiku, and the Kurosaki kid."  
"You know Ikkaku went back after the meeting this morning?" he asked. I paused. He'd left without me? "Why?"  
"I don't know. Nobody asked him to. Ayasegawa is still here, though."  
"He just up and left?"  
He nodded, laying his hashi down gingerly. "Does it bother you that much? Just have him brought back." He eyed me questioningly.  
"It doesn't bother me, it just...I don't know. I thought he'd be happy that I got this position. And maybe come see me," I sighed. I wasn't nescessarily upset, but it didn't help my feelings any. "Maybe he's jealous."  
That startled me. I glanced up at Renji, wanting to believe him. It made sense. But Ikkaku had been asked to fill Aizen's position, right? I struggled to follow the thought process. "What of? He turned the position down," I muttered.  
"Think about it." He shifted, leaning a little closer to my face. "You're a lovely, intelligent, high-ranking student. Well, you were a student. Anyway. Maybe it's not wanting to BE a captain as much as it is WHO is the new captain," he started. "He worked hard to get where he is now. Third seat. You, on the other hand, tore through the Academy like it was made out of gauze. You basically swept the feet out from under the other students. Straight from the Academy and to a ranked officer is more than any one of us has ever accomplished, y'know?" He reached over to me, brushing my hair back gently. "There's a lot to be jealous of."  
"But he's been acting so strange, anyway."  
"I know," he growled, rolling his eyes. "I don't know what the hell his problem is...Anyway, we should probably head back, huh?"  
"I asked that a few minutes ago, but yeah, probably."  
He snagged my wrist as I stood up, making me stumble. "Wait," he chirped, his eyes urgent. "What?"  
"When can I see you again?" He stared up at me, sincere, squeezing my wrist gently.  
But I didn't know the answer to his question. If I headed out to the human world and he didn't come too, then I wasn't going to see him for a while. If I didn't leave, then I had many, many things to do within the Seireitei that would keep me busy. Paperwork, meetings, training... I didn't know.  
He understood before I could say anything. "If you have any free time... I don't know. I'll always be patrolling the East gate when I don't have any other work. So look for me there. Will you do that for me?" he asked softly. I nodded, pulling him up to his feet so that I could hug him tightly. "I will. I promise."  
"Good." He propped his chin on top of my head. "Now let's get back, or Yamamoto'll have the whole Soul Society looking for us."

The next morning, a few minutes after the bell rang, I tore myself out of bed. It was a herculean task-my body was beyond fatigued, just from all the swimming. Not to mention my feet were a little sore from walking on rocks. But I couldn't complain.  
I couldn't get used to the new room I'd been given. It made me feel small, especially in the morning, when I had no depth-perception and the wooden floors seemed endless. The floors were warm, though, thanks to the large windows that lined the very top of my eastern wall that let the sun heat my room naturally.  
I searched aimlessly for tea, confounded by the pantry-space in my new kitchen. It was bigger than my old room all by itself. But as for the tea, I remembered that I had no way to make it. So I dropped it and shuffled back to my bedroom. The door rattled furiously. "Michiru! Michiru, wake up please!"  
Yumichika nearly smashed my door down before I could reach it. Slightly annoyed, I slid the door open angrily, expecting him to have some sort of silk crisis. I was wrong. So wrong.  
"Michiru, you have to come with me now!" he sputtered, gripping my shoulders tightly. "Like right now! Immediately!" "Why? What's wrong?" I asked, trying to shake him off. He only held tighter.  
"Just come with me. Please. We have to go now," he begged, his voice dropping with frustration. "Tell me what's wrong, then I'll go with you." I peeled his hands off my shoulders, trying to stay calm. He sighed heavily. "It's Inoue. And Ikkaku," he whimpered. "They're gone."


	17. Chapter 17

**** Picking up where we left of, a transition chapter! This chapter is a little jumpy, but I'm getting around to the serious parts as fast as I can. It's my twist on what happened when Orihime was kidnapped, so excuse my unoriginal-ness : I have it all planned out. Anyway, thank you for the new reviewers! :3 and new favorites, and the song for this chapter is "The Islander" by Nightwish. Enjoiplees! ****

"What do you mean gone?"  
"I... I don't know. They've disappeared. No reiatsu, nothing." He wrung his hands nervously, his voice straining. "Please. I'm begging you to come with me," he choked. I wasn't sure how to react. It wasn't panic-it was something else.  
Fear.  
But not for me, for Ikkaku and Inoue. I had a sinking feeling that whatever had happened was a terrible, terrible thing. I couldn't let Yumi see me scared, though, so I ran for my robes and zanpakutou.  
"Who have you told?" I asked, ushering him out the door.  
"Everyone. I need you to come to the emergency meeting with me," he explained. "That wasn't the six a.m. bell, Michiru. It was the warning bell."

"I want you all to understand something," Yamamoto growled, shuffling to his chair. "We don't know or understand the situation. Therefore, there won't be any more effort applied than needed. Which means, this is NOT a large emergency, so I would like everyone to calm down and take the circumstances into mind before they act."  
Zaraki shifted next to me, obviously angry. "What do you mean, 'effort'?" he asked. His voice rumbled thunderously. "By effort, I imply that this isn't a manhunt. It isn't a search and rescue. I give you and Kobe permission to head to Karakura, and ask that Hitsugaya return," Yamamoto answered. He wasn't threatened in the least by Zaraki's glare. "He's your officer, Zaraki, and the whole Seireitei shouldn't be involved."  
"And if it's more serious than you think...?"  
"Then I will send the necessary forces to deal with it."  
I glanced across the isle at Renji, who looked positively furious. I didn't blame him-I wasn't happy with the decision either, seeing as Ikkaku was one of my best friends, and Renji's too. He was far too valuable a person to just give up on.  
"Who comes with us, sir?" I asked, glancing at Yumichika. He stood next to Zaraki with bravado painted across his face, trying to hide his fear. "Your choice. Do not take your entire company, though."  
Renji stepped forward suddenly. He bowed respectfully to Yamamoto, speaking as calmly as he could. "With all due respect, sir, I feel that I should go, too," he spoke, keeping his head lowered humbly. "I know him well, and I believe I can provide-"  
"No. Your company will have no part in this," Yamamoto spat. "I didn't ask you to even affiliate yourself with this."  
Clinching his fists, Renji stepped back in line, glancing to me for help. I wasn't sure what to do.  
"Go, if you feel you must find him," Yamamoto continued. "I have nothing else to say."  
So we left.

"I voted for you, y'know," Zaraki said to me, his hand resting on his zanpakutou. He towered over me, eyeing me as wewaited anxiously for the exit of the Senkaimon to be opened. "I hope you understand what that means."  
"I'm not entirely sure, but thank you," I replied, bowing to him gratefully.  
"It means you hafta spar with Ken-chan!" Yachiru squealed, dangling from his shoulder. "Everybody knows that!"  
I glanced over my shoulder to Yumichika, who shrugged nervously. "You want me to...-"  
Zaraki cut me off. "Yeah. I see something I like in you, kid." Light poured into the area as the gate finally began to open, letting us know that it was sunrise in Karakura. I paled as I realized what he was proposing. "Don't let me down."  
He bounded out into the morning air, bells jingling, and Yumichika followed him closely. It was amazing how the air felt lighter when Zaraki wasn't close by; his presence weighed heavy on anyone in his vicinity, and I didn't understand how Yachiru could ride so closely on his shoulder. I kept my distance from them as we raced over the rooftops of Karaukura, searching for Inoue's empty apartment.  
I could tell immediately that someone was missing. Karakura felt a little empty, telling me that Inoue's reiatsu was gone. I couldn't even sense a trace of it. "Where did she live, kid?" Zaraki called behind him, sliding to a halt on a dew-covered rooftop. "East, about a kilometer from here. See that duplex?" I answered, pointing it out. He squinted into the sun to see.  
"That thing? Hitsugaya's in there," he grunted. "Run him out. I don't want to deal with th' little smartass. Ayasegawa, go with her. I'm staying right here."  
Yumichika only nodded, running wordlessly next to me. "Yumi?" I asked quietly, but he only bit his lip nervously. "We'll find him, okay?"  
He didn't answer. His grip tightened on his zanpakutou's hilt, whitening his knuckles. I couldn't tell at this point if he was scared, or more angru at the lack of effort put out to find Ikkaku. I lit on Inoue's open window sill, slipping past pink gauzy curtains to find Rangiku searching through Inoue's room. She had basically turned the apartment inside out, strewing clothes and furniture and everything tangible all over the floors. There wasn't much else she could do to search for clues.  
"Where's the captain?"I asked. She dropped a handful of clothes and sighed, motioning for Inoue's living room.  
"He's down there. Talking to Yamamoto on the com-link. Why are you back?" she asked. Her eyes swept over me for a second, taking in the white captain's haori. "...Nevermind. Whose place did you take...?"  
"Tousen."  
She grinned. "Well, I'm proud of you. He's down there though. I'm just looking for something...anything that might be an answer."  
"I know. I don't particularly know what to do, either," I told her. "Yamamoto told me that he wants you two back in Seireitei, though."  
"He does?"  
"He sent Zaraki with me. I guess he thinks you've done enough work."  
She nodded. "We've done nothing but search for nearly 12 hours now. I'll tell Toushirou."  
"Tell me what?" Hitsugaya rounded the corner, holding a thin piece of paper. "I found this in the kitchen. It still has traces of her reishi on it." Rangiku snatched it, glancing over it quickly. "It's just a to-do list. What do you want with this?"  
"She left it recently. I'd guess maybe 5 hours ago. While we were searching in the park and around her brother's grave," he answered. He cast his gaze on me momentarily, sniffing disapprovingly, before finishing his sentence. "That means she's been back here. After she disappeared."  
"Are you sure...?" Rangiku asked, flipping the paper over and over again in her hands. "Anyway, I'll let you guys handle it." She handed the paper to me, waving for Hitsugaya to follow her. "Captain here said Yamamoto wanted us back. So let's go. Before he has a heart-attack..."  
"He just contacted me. C'mon," Hitsugaya said. He slipped past us, appearing to be unconcerned, but I felt his unease. He was calculating every possibility as fast as he could.  
Rangiku turned to me, catching me by the shoulders. "Look. I want to stay. But I can't do anything without orders. Find her, okay?" she said, staring directly into my eyes. "She's been nothing but good for all of us. As for Ikkaku, I know he's probably doing his best to get them out of whatever situation they're in. Find him too. We all love him. Promise?"  
Her blue eyes were bleary, probably from lack of rest, but serious. "I promise," I told her. "I'll do everything I can."  
Without another word, they disappeared from the apartment. Yumichika whistled out the window for Zaraki. I stared down at the paper in my hands. It was light pink, with flowers and candy print on it, but it listed menial tasks. Take out the garbage, wash dishes, wash clothes, dust. It was an everyday to-do list. But I could faintly feel her presence on the paper, as if she had just written it.  
Zaraki appeared next to me, glaring down over my shoulder at the note. "What's that?" "I don't know. Hitsugaya says she's been here once since she's disappeared."  
"So she made a list...? Psh."  
"I don't see anything special about it, but how in the world did she come back here if she's been kidnapped?"  
"Maybe she's a traitor. Whatever. If I find out Madarame defected to Aizen's side, I'll-"  
"He hasn't." Yumichika's voice wavered, but he stood his ground. "You know he wouldn't. He'd follow you to his death, Captain. And with all due respect, I think you should have a little bit more faith in him."  
Taken aback, Zaraki stared at Yumichika. When he didn't reply, Yumichika brushed by me to go downstairs, undoubtedly angry.  
"Emotional one, he is. Anyway. Anything else on that piece of paper?" Zaraki continued. "No. Not that I see."  
He didn't seem affected. "I'm going to find Kurosaki. You comin', kid?"  
"I guess." I glanced at the stairs questioningly, wondering if I should retrieve Yumichika.  
"Don't worry about him. He'll show up when he quits moping," Zaraki muttered.  
Zaraki was gone again, leaving me alone in Orihime's room. I flipped the paper over in my hands, studying the sort of jovial patters on the paper. It was so unfitting of the situation. But there, in the corner of the page, was a note. "Goodbye, Halcyon Days," it scrawled.  
I ran the words through my head, trying to decipher the meaning. It came to me quickly: Goodbye, tranquil days. She was saying goodbye to peace.

Kurosaki was beyond being in a frenzy. He nearly railed at Zaraki when he showed up, calling Yamamoto everything under the sun but his name. Obviously, he'd heard about the lack of concern from Yamamoto. Hisagi, however, was perched outside on Ichigo's roof. He dangled his feet aimlessly, staring out at the rising sun. I was a little scared to approach him. I didn't want to disturb him, and I wasn't sure how he felt about me yet. It had to be a shock to suddenly have a captain againn.  
My hair decorations gave me away though, jingling when I stepped onto the roof.  
His head whipped around, black eyes immediately on me. "Captain!" he gasped, jumping to his feet. He bowed quickly. "I didn't realize you were here."  
"It's okay," I told him. I motioned for him to sit back down, which he did immediately. "I just thought it would be a good idea to talk to you for a bit. We need to sort things out."  
"I understand." I took a decent look at him, familiarizing myself with his features. I'd known Hisagi for a while as an accquaintance, someone who hung around with Ikkaku and occasionally drank with us, but I never got close to him. He was intimidating for the most part, but there, silhouetted in the morning light, he seemed much softer. Vulnerable, even.  
We sat silently for a moment, gazing off at the buildings in the distance. The pale orange light of the sun bounced off everything around us. It was beautiful, the way it reflected back to us, "I just want you to know that I would rather us be the other way around," I laughed, trying to lighten his mood. He smiled slightly, leaning back on his palms.  
"You deserve your position," he told me. "And I have nothing against you for attaining it."  
"Good... I was scared I had gotten in your way, really," I said. "In my way? Nah. I still have a way to go before I can be recommended for captain. Until then, I'll serve you as I did Tousen."  
He stared off into the horizon again, his eyes lost in thought. He wasn't worried about me in the least. In fact, he was perfectly fine with me as his captain, but I could tell he was concerned about Ikkaku as much as I was. And probably still a little conflicted about Tousen. "Captain?"  
"Yes?"  
He sighed heavily, sitting up to look at me eye to eye. "Don't leave me behind," he said softly. For a moment, I felt what he felt. I could sense his fear of being abandoned again, of being left behind to pick up the pieces. His somber face was pleading. Even the sunlight seemed to fade with his mood, drifting behind a cloud to shadow his features. "I won't. I promise," I said. I put my hand on his shoulder reassuringly, watching the life seem to return to his eyes. "Now let's head inside. We need to start making plans..."


	18. Chapter 18

**** Konbanwa, lovelies! This is a bit of a wordy chapter, and a bit choppy, but I SWEAR I have it all planned out. When things hit Hueco Mundo, it's gonna go crazy. Bear with me! I've been studying for my red belt test like crazy, and it's been distracting me! Song for this chapter is "Ghost Opera" by Kamelot. Not really fitting, but it's a nice song. Love you guys, I promise it will get better soon! ****

Hisagi seated himself next to me, holding Orihime's last note. "This is what she chose to leave behind?" he asked, but Kurosaki interjected.  
"No. She came here," he said. He pulled his shirt sleeve back, revealing a pink scar. "See? I know she did this."  
Rukia nodded in agreement. "I can still detect her prescense a bit. But not much."  
"So...She said goodbye twice," I murmured.  
Kurosaki squirmed. "But why didn't she just ask for help?" he asked. "I mean, if she had the time to come here, and even to make a list of totally useless things, then why couldn't she just ask for help?"  
"It's obvious, kid." Zaraki thumped his head back against the wall, his hulk of a body crammed into the corner of Ichigo's room. "She had somebody on the inside who knew what was going on. SHE knew what was going on. Put it together."  
"But...she wouldn't," Ichigo objected.  
"Then make up your damn mind. Either we go after her, or we don't," he growled. He scooped Yachiru off the floor with his mighty grip, placing her gingerly on his shoulder. "If you don't figure something out in about 20 minutes, I'm going on my own to find my third seat. You can have your pity party about your girlfriend or whatever. But I'm not hanging around for it."  
Tension settled in the room. I could feel Ichigo's pressure flare angrily, but Zaraki seemed unaffected. "We all go," I said firmly. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and it made me cringe. "If we don't decide something, then I will. Whether anyone likes it or not. We all know neither one of them would drop so low as to serve Aizen or even TRY to help him."  
Hisagi nodded, folding her note up carefully. "I go where you go," he told me quietly, gazing down at the floor. "I'm going," Kurosaki added. "Rukia?"  
"I'm going too," she said.  
All eyes turned to Zaraki, who was the last to decide. "Well, looks like we're all going on a road trip," he grinned, ignoring Yachiru squealing in his ear. "Is it just us?"  
"Guess so. Urahara can get us to Hueco Mundo, but there's no telling what it's like going there or getting back. And no guarantee that we'll make it back," Ichigo said. "And no turning back once we get there."  
"Then it's settled."

*RENJI*

I paced anxiously inside my room. Something, or someone, was playing with the whole Soul Society. And my guess was Gin. Somewhere on the other side in Hueco Mundo, he'd come up with some hideous plan to tear us apart.  
It was working.  
The entire Seireitei was in an uproar. A, Michiru had skipped nearly every proper process of becoming a captain and had taken Tousen's spot. B, Ikkaku was gone, without a trace. C, Yamamoto didn't seem to care, and D, the readings from Hueco Mundo's signatures in the Research Department were off the charts. Rin, being the genius that he is, let the documents leak to the public.  
Even Captain Kuchiki was more terse than usual, probably concerned with Rukia and her safety. Rukia could handle herself, so I wasn't so worried about her. It was Ichigo that bothered me.  
Obviously, they had snatched Orihime for a reason. They were baiting him. Everyone in Las Noches knew that Kurosaki would immediately come for Orihime if they stole her away quietly. In fact, they didn't even have to try so hard, but I was sure there was an even bigger ulterior motive.  
But did anyone ask me for my opinion?  
Of course not. For reasons unknown, Kurotsuchi had Yamamoto on a leash. His opinion was the only one that mattered at this point, and his little charts and fancy machines had everyone thinking it was doomsday. This wasn't going to be a simple search and rescue mission, I knew. But I felt like I had a place in it. And both Ikkaku and Orihime deserved our efforts in return for what they had done for us. I couldn't wait. I snatched up Zabimaru, flinging my doors back...to walk straight into Byakuya.  
"Where are you headed, Abarai?" he said smoothly, his hand lighting on Senbonzakura. There was something else, what I didn't know, in his other hand.  
Could I fess up to him? He glared up at me, ready to stop any unwanted movements from me.  
I had to get around him. "I'm going to Las Noches, Captain," I said sternly, and his eyes narrowed.  
"You were going to leave without my consent. I'm not fond of that."  
"I know. But I-"  
"Here." He shoved a rough piece of fabric into my hands. "If you go, take this. It's for the sandstorms."  
I let the fabric unroll, revealing something like a cape with a hood. Another smaller one unrolled inside it, which I assumed was for Rukia.  
"Sandstorms?" I asked, but he said nothing. He drifted past me, disappearing into his room.

If my theory was correct, Michiru would wait overnight before heading off to Hueco Mundo. I knew she'd only gotten to Karakura recently, and if she had any smarts about her whatsoever, she'd give herself and Hisagi time to get ready. She would at least wait one night. Maybe I could find her before she left.  
I ran through the Dangai, never stopping to question my plan. If she was still there, she would be in one of two places. Kurosaki's house, or Inoue's empty apartment. If she wasn't, Urahara would open a way to Hueco Mundo for me or his hat and clogs would be his dinner. Either way, my plan was bound to work.  
But what if Zaraki caught wind of me? Would he report me?  
It wouldn't matter if he did-I was already breaking protocol, but Captain Kuchiki would be the one in trouble. But only if anyone found out he let me go.  
The Senkaimon exit opened just in time for me to step out into Karakura's evening air. I was later than I planned, but I could instantly feel her reiatsu. She was asleep, wherever she was, because it was very toned down and calm. Karakura was asleep in its own way. At night, it was like the town rolled up the welcome mats and locked down. Nothing was moving, no one was out. The streets were empty and cold. It was fine with me, though, because that was clearance to take off toward Inoue's apartment.  
Hisagi was there, too, I noticed. But he was wide awake. His pressure beaconed out from the apartment, letting me know he was on guard. I approached slowly, hoping he recognized me.  
"Hai, Abarai. What are you doing here?" he called from above, perched on the corner of the roof.  
"Top secret espionage. Don't mind me," I called back to him.  
I let myself into Inoue's, taking the stairs two at a time. Yumichika, asleep on the only piece of furniture left in the living room, never noticed me. I figured he was tired anyway from searching. But Michiru's pressure stirred as I came up the stairs. She met me at the door of her room. "Renji?" she asked softly, rubbing her eyes.  
I couldn't help myself. I snatched her into my arms, squeezing her tightly before giving her the softest kiss I could manage. She nearly melted. Her body was warm against mine and her arms slipped around me slowly, letting me know I was welcomed.  
"I'm going with you," I told her, and she glanced up at me sleepily. "But how...?"  
"Don't worry about how. I'm going with you."  
She smiled, hugging me tightly. I noticed that she still had her captain's haori on. Had she fallen asleep in it?  
"Thank you," she sighed, taking my hands gently. "Come in here. I need to tell you what's going on."  
She tugged me into the room, shutting the door behind us. Her bed on the floor was tiny; just two blankets and a rolled up shihakushou, which couldn't be comfortable. She sat down near her makeshift pillow and patted the floor next to her.  
"Have you found anything?" I asked, but she shook her head.  
"There's nothing about Ikkaku. The only thing we've found is from Orihime, but it's just twice as confusing," she explained. "We're leaving tomorrow morning. Ichigo and Rukia are coming, and so are his friends, and Zaraki and Yumi. Hisagi said he'd stick with me."  
"At least we're well armed then."  
"As well as we can be." She leaned toward the window, whistling softly.  
Hisagi slipped through the curtains almost instantly. "Captain?"  
"You can go rest, Hisagi," she told him. "You've been out there for hours."  
He nodded, thanking her, and disappeared into the apartment.  
"He seems to like you a good bit," I mused, noticing how comfortable he acted. "What did you do to him?"  
"I just talked things out with him. Like a good captain should," she answered.  
"A good captain, huh?"  
She grinned. "It was just a quick chat. So he could understand I wasn't going to be Tousen all over again."  
"Oooh. Well, look, I didn't mean to wake you up," I said, scruffing her hair. "Get some rest."  
"I will in a minute. I wanted to say something to you," she said. She blushed slightly, looking away from me.  
"What is it?"  
She squirmed momentarily. Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink, but she composed herself. "I just wanted to... If we don't make it back, I wanted to let you know that...that-"  
"What?"  
"I love you," she squeaked. I was blank. Somehow, it didn't register. It hit the inside of my dense skull and bounced around, not daring to hit my raisin of a brain.  
"You...you what?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.  
She shook her head, embarassed. "Nothing. I shouldn't have said anything like that. Especially not now," she began, but I clamped a hand over her mouth. Her silver eyes were brimming with tears. Did she think I was rejecting her?  
"Wait. Just tell me what you said," I told her, letting go of her face.  
She took a deep breath. Obviously, I had shaken up her nerves, which made me feel guilty. But she repeated herself slowly.  
"I said, I love you," she said again, wringing her hands anxiously.  
It finally sank in. I felt warm, suddenly, like I was under a blanket. Warm and nervous and light-headed, all in one bundle. But was it really nerves? I wasn't sure how I felt, I just knew that whatever it was, I liked it. A lot. I struggled to make myself say it back, fighting the lump in my throat.  
"I love you, Michiru," I stammered. She seemed to brighten instantly. "You mean it?" she asked softly.  
All I could do was nod. Somehow, she had me all messed up. I couldn't get my mouth to work with my head, which was something I wasn't used to. Now I understood how she felt when she was all tongue-tied. It was frustrating as hell. "I was scared that I'd never get a chance to tell you," she admitted. "I don't know if we'll make it back from Hueco Mundo or not..."  
"Hey. We'll make it back," I told her. I stroked her cheek gently, still struggling to find anything to say. "We'll make it back, and we'll get Ikkaku and Inoue back too."  
"You think we will?"  
"I don't think. I know."  
She smiled slightly, catching my hand and squeezing it. "Will you stay here? Not necessarily in this room, but at least somewhere close?" she asked. "I'll stay wherever you ask me to."  
Truthfully, I didn't want to leave her. I didn't really know if we'd make it back, or if Ikkaku and Inoue were still alive. And she knew it, too. We both knew. It was a huge risk to take, running head-long into Hueco Mundo. But what other choice did we have?  
I wanted to spend one more night next to her. I didn't care who found out, or who saw us or whatever. What could they do about it? I had to be around her. I had to be close to her. It was almost like an addiction. Like a junkie with no drugs. And I needed my fix.  
"Then stay here. Wherever you want," she told me. That, right there, was my cue. 'Wherever you want' was what I wanted to hear.  
I threw my arms around her, pulling her tight against me. I wanted to drown in her smell. Suffocate in her hair. She hugged me back, kissing the top of my head warmly. "I'm staying here," I said. "You said wherever I want, and this is what I want. You sank yourself, this time."  
"Loophole, huh? I was kind of hoping you would stay," she laughed. She tugged my face back up to hers, nuzzling her nose against mine. "You left that wide open for me. So I took advantage."  
"I know."  
She wasn't paying attention anymore. Her eyes were locked on mine intently, her fingertips tracing the open neckline of my uniform. She leaned forward to kiss me, very nearly crawling into my lap to do so. I couldn't stop her. I didn't dare ruin the moment, not when we both knew this could be the last night we spent together. And I didn't want to stop myself. I let go of every inhibition that I had, pulling her into my arms and onto my lap to kiss her back desperately. Her body was soft and lush beneath my hands. I wanted to memorize every curve and every shape, and make sure that there was not once inch of her that I didn't know. She knew. And she felt the same toward me, familiarizing herself with my tattoos again. I didn't quiet understand why she loved them so much, but I didn't object. Her other hand, cupped around the back of my neck, pulled my hair down. Her fingers wound into it slowly.  
I promised myself that I would come back for her. No matter what happened, I would be back, just to see her at least once more. I wouldn't let this be our last night together. Even if Aizen himself tried to cut me down, I would find a way back to her. She would be safe, and I would take care of her. Her kisses slowed, and she backed away to look at me with tired eyes. She was exhausted. Physically, mentally exhausted. "You should sleep," I told her, petting her hair lightly. "Don't distract yourself."  
She sighed, running her fingers through my hair. "We both should," she admitted. "Here." I put her down on the floor carefully, sliding my arm under the back of her head. She immediately curled into my chest, burrowing her face into my shoulder. "Sleep right here. I promise I'll be here in the morning this time."  
She smiled slightly, only moving closer to me and wrapping her arm around my waist. "I love you," she murmured. Again, that feeling trampled all over me. It was the same warmth, with anxiety undertones. I nearly shivered. "I love you, too," I told her, and with that, we slept as soundly as possible.


	19. Chapter 19

**** Hi guys. Sorry I took SO LONG with this chapter :c I can't even begin to tell you about everything that's been going on here. . but anyway. Everything has calmed down, so I'll pick back up on it. Song for this chapter is "Love You To Death" by Kamelot. Enjoiplees! :3 ****

Urahara didn't seem too concerned with our entering Hueco Mundo. "It's nothing like the Dangai, I'm going to warn you," he told us, but didn't really disclose much more. He fanned himself, motioning for us to go on through the gate.  
"So then, what is it like?" Ichigo asked. He glanced over his shoulder at his two friends that had shown-Ishida, the Quincy, and Sado. Or Chad. Whatever his name was. I had only seen him once, so I didn't expect to remember his name.  
"Go on, and you'll find out," Urahara sniffed. "It's not that big of a deal. Just don't get lost."  
Zaraki scoffed, stepping forward to the gate. "Open it. It's nothing I can't handle," he smirked, picking Yachiru up by the obi to drop her on his shoulder. "Suit yourself." The gate opened just as the Senkaimon would, nearly blinding us before revealing pitch black. Yumichika followed Zaraki without batting an eye. One by one, we filed into the gate, but after the first few steps, we noticed something drastically different.  
There was no walkway. No floor, no walls. Nothing. I could hear Rukia gasp as she stepped off into the darkness, along with a curse from Zaraki that even I hadn't heard before. We fell for what felt like a full minute. Our screams didn't echo because there was nothing for them to bounce off of. The dark absorbed it like thick cotton. To top it all off, I couldn't tell if I was actually falling downward at this point, because the dark and lack of sound reverberations made it ridiculously disorienting. I felt like I was floating. Drifting on top of dark water. Suddenly, the back of my head connected with something hard. It knocked the sense out of me, but I could feel my feet dangling toward the darkness menacingly. My shoulders were sliding off of whatever I was on.  
I struggled to roll over and pull myself up onto the platform. "I barely caught him," I heard in front of me, and multiple hands gripped my wrists. They dragged me, not far, but up onto the platform. I could see Ishida's glasses glinting in the dark. Had he saved me?  
"Just barely. How did you do that?" Ichigo asked. My ears began to ring incessantly, making it hard to hear. How hard had I hit this thing?  
"You have to focus the reishi in the atmosphere around you... Looks like he's almost out."  
"Is he hurt?" That was Michiru. I fought for conciousness, trying to keep my eyes open, but at this point, I could barely hear anything over the ringing. My head felt as if it was being shut in a vice, and the noise only made it worse. I couldn't bring myself to my hands and knees without feeling nauseus and dizzy.  
"I can't tell...It's too dark..."  
"Chad! Grab him! We have to keep moving-..."  
The last thing I felt was the sensation of being hoisted into the air.

**MICHIRU**

"What is this? The moon?"  
Ichigo kicked at the sand angrily. "I thought this place was just some sort of palace. Not a whole separate world," he grunted. "The damn castle thing looks like it's miles away."  
"Maybe it is," Ishida sighed.  
"It better not be. I didn't come here to go on an expidition," Zaraki growled. "Or a space exploration. It does look like the moon."  
I shook the sand out of my uniform. "At any rate, we should probably start heading for that thing as soon as we can," I said. I pointed at what I assumed was Las Noches.  
"Probably. But what are we going to do about Renji?" asked Hisagi. Chad placed Renji on the sand gingerly. "He's not bleeding. Just unconscious," he told me. Renji didn't stir. When he'd hit Ishida's concentrated reishi, he'd hit hard. Incredibly hard. And head first. Chad had carried him the whole way to Hueco Mundo on his shoulder, never complaining about it.  
"I've got a bag of things from Fourth Company," Yumichika said, drawing a small pouch from his uniform. "It's those energy pill things. They're supposed to wake you up no matter what."  
"Should we use that on him if he's knocked out?" Rukia asked. Yumichika shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. He'll just have a nasty headache when he wakes up. But I think I have something else in here..." He fished around for a moment until he located both of the caplets. "Hold his mouth open, somebody."  
I couldn't help but to look around. Their chatter faded into the background as I wandered away from the group toward what seemed like a tree. It shattered in my palm when I tried to pull off a twig. Was it stone? Quartz? The entire world seemed dead. The sand was white. The trees were white. And the palace in the distance was white. The only thing that had any sort of color was the sky, but even it had a strange, purple hue to it. It was like an eternal night. My attention went back to the group when I heard Renji gasp for breath. He sat up, clutching his head in pain, yowling at Yumichika.  
"You better tell me what the hell you were doing with your fingers stuffed down my throat!" he choked. "You nearly strangled me!"  
"I had to get the pills down somehow," Yumi said innocently. "You were obviously incapacitated."  
"I'll show you incapacitated..." Grumbling, Renji struggled to his feet. He was still woozy and he stumbled in the sand. Hisagi turned to me expectantly. "What now?" he asked. "He'll be fine."  
"I guess we head toward that thing," I said. Zaraki nodded in agreement. "It's the only option we have, really."  
"The kid's right. We head there, or nowhere. Cuz I don't see anything on the horizon anywhere else," Zaraki said. And so we ran.

Hours later, it felt as though we were still in the same place. We'd been running toward Las Noches without rest, never stopping, never once slowing down. But it seemed as if it was all futile. The palace still loomed ahead of us far, far away. I began to question if it was real.  
"Have we gotten any closer AT ALL?" Kurosaki screamed. He slid to a halt ahead of us. "We've been running toward that blasted place for... hell, I don't know! Half a damn day!"  
Renji cuffed him on the back of the head. "Just shut up. The more you complain, the worse you make it for all of us," he growled. "It's not like we can tell time here anyway," muttered Hisagi. "For all we know, we've only been here for maybe 2 hours."  
"Just keep moving." Zaraki shoved ahead of the crowd, breaking into a run again.  
I stepped to break into a run again, but I felt something odd in the air. Hisagi plowed into my back clumsily. "What is it?" he asked, brushing me off.  
"I don't know. Wait a moment," I told him. The group gave a collective sigh. "Can we make up our minds? Go or don't go," Zaraki boomed. He stomped back to us. "What's the problem?"  
"There's something different," I told him. I scanned the area once again, searching for anything on the horizon other than white sand. There was something out there, watching us, just outside of my line of sight. I could feel it drawing closer.  
"Do you feel that, Captain?" Hisagi asked, fidgeting with the hilt of his sword. I nodded.  
"That's why I said wait."  
Ichigo perked up suddenly. "I feel it too. Whatever that is, I don't like it," he commented. "It's really...heavy."  
I looked over at Yumichika. We both knew that this was what we'd felt that day in Karakura, but to a lesser degree. It wasn't so strong yet. But it was the same, dense reiatsu. It was unpleasant and stifling. "I think we need to move on, Michiru," Yumichika said quietly. "Let's go. I don't want to find out what it is," Renji said, tugging on my shoulder. But I couldn't tear myself away from it.  
The only thing that was different about the presence was that it felt strangely familiar. Not because of the density or the weight, but there was something deep down that felt like stumbling upon an old friend. I could tell which direction it was coming from now, and I squinted at the horizon to try and make it out. If it was even there, it would be hard to tell what it was.  
A hint of red caught my eye. "There it is," I blurted, pointing toward it. "I can see it on that sand dune right there."  
The group turned to look with me. Ishida scooted his glasses farther up his nose, squinting furiously. "It looks like a piece of fabric," he stated. I could tell he was trying to analyze it to death in his head. "It's stuck on something. Some kind of bamboo stick."  
We could all feel it drawing nearer. It wouldn't quite come into view, though, staying behind the dunes and quartz trees on the horizon. "Should we leave before it gets here?" Rukia asked. "No," Yumichika snapped. "It's...it's someone we know. Don't you feel that?"  
"I think we should go. Like right now. Because I DON'T think it's friendly. It feels all wrong," Ichigo said. He snagged Rukia, pulling her along. "Let's go."  
A few members of the group turned to follow him. They walked a few paces ahead of us; that left me, Hisagi, Yumichika, and Renji. Zaraki had made his way even farther, tromping along at a leisurely pace. The thing seemed to take notice of their separation from us, changing direction to follow them.  
"STOP!" I yelled. "Don't get separated from us!" "We won't! What's the problem now?" Ichigo screamed back. "It's following YOU!"  
"Well it can come and get me! I'm tired of this!"  
He didn't realize how hellbent this thing was on doing just that. My eyes went back to the horizon to find it, but it wasn't there. It was hundreds of feet ahead of where it had been, skimming the sand and the dune tops like a stone on water. I could see the sand being thrown into the air as it zipped across the desert, straight for Ichigo and Rukia.  
Before it could reach them, Ichigo's black Tenshou swept out before him. The explosion of sand blocked our view. "Did he stop it?" Renji asked, coughing from the dirt in the air. "I think so...did you see how fast it was?" Hisagi answered. The sand cleared slowly. Ichigo stood before Rukia, Zangetsu drawn, bankai ready. We weren't ready for what we saw in front of him.  
For a moment, I thought it was an Espada. The white uniform was deceptive. It was almost like the outfit I'd seen Gin wearing, with the robe and strange shapes. The wearer's face was covered by his mask remnants except for his eyes and chin, which I couldn't quite see. But there was one thing that I recognized immediately.  
Hozukimaru.  
The red we'd seen on the horizon was the red feather tassle on the end of the spear. Yumichika gasped as he made the connection, shoving me out of the way.  
"Ikkaku! Ikkaku, what are you doing?" he shouted, running toward him blindly. "It's us! We came to-"  
The spear tip dropped to head level, making Yumichika slide to an abrupt halt. "It's me, Ikkaku," Yumichika asked softly. "Don't you know me? We're your friends."  
Ikkaku looked directly at me. I could see his eyes underneath the mask, still framed with red paint, still dark and maroon. There was something wrong. Something terribly, horribly wrong with them though. And I couldn't place it. It struck me that it wasn't Ikkaku.  
"Yumichika, get away from there," I called, drawing Egonoki. I could hear everyone else draw their weapons slowly, surrounding the fake Ikkaku. The mask looked at each one of us, pausing for seconds to study us. It was a hideous mask, one like I'd never seen, that had jagged teeth and slanted eyes. They were such long jagged teeth that they nearly reached his chin. It gave me chills to look at, and not to mention the energy coming off of him was like lying under a train. Suddenly, though, he reached up to pull the mask away from his face.  
"Sorry. Guess I thought I was hallucinating," Ikkaku said lowly. He dropped Hozukimaru away from Yumichika. "And I didn't mean to almost kill you."  
We were all surprised. It felt nothing like Ikkaku, but everything else about him told us it was him. His lopsided scowl, the eye paint, and even his voice were just the same as they always had been.  
"What's with the Espada getup?" Ichigo asked, motioning at Ikkaku's outfit. "And by the way, don't come at me like that. You almost got your head knocked off."  
"I could have handled it," Ikkaku told him. "Anyway. Why are you here?"  
"We should be asking you the same thing," Zaraki snapped. "You wanna tell me why you went off without my permission?"  
"I'll explain it all later. First, I need to to follow me. It's not safe out here," Ikkaku said, pointing at the palace walls. "You can't go in there. You'll get killed. Just follow me and I'll show you how to get around underground."  
Yumichika stared him down nervously. "How can I trust you?" he asked quietly. "You abandoned me."  
Ikkaku smiled at him warmly. That was the Ikkaku I knew, and for a moment, I really believed it was him. "I didn't abandon you. It wasn't my choice to come here, y'know," he said. "But really, just follow me, and I'll tell you everything."


	20. Chapter 20

**** Ohmylord, guys, I am so sorry for how long it took to get this chapter up. I downloaded Firefox 4 and began having problems with the editor, and it didn't occur to me to just go back to using Google Chrome until now. v.v I'm such an idiot. Anyway, Egonoki makes an appearance in this chapter, and I put a little snip of the last chapter in since it's been so FREAKIN LONG since I updated. I'm so sorry guys! Song for this chapter is "Moonlight" by Kamelot. Much love 3 ****

Ikkaku smiled at him warmly. That was the Ikkaku I knew, and for a moment, I really believed it was him. "I didn't abandon you. It wasn't my choice to come here, y'know," he said. "But really, just follow me, and I'll tell you everything."  
He motioned for me to follow, smiling at me still. And I did. My feet found themselves scraping across the sand reluctantly.  
Renji snagged the collar of my uniform. "Stop! You know better," he hissed, yanking me back.  
"Oh, let her go, you ass. You always were jealous," Ikkaku sneered. I didn't fight against Renji, though. His grip was incredibly tight on the back of my shoulder.  
"We're not going anywhere with you. If you have something to tell us, tell us here, in front of everybody," Zaraki said, starting toward Ikkaku. He pressed the jagged edge of his sword beneath Ikkaku's chin menacingly. "And you'd better give me ten good reasons why I shouldn't slaughter you right here."  
Ikkaku sighed, attempting to push Zaraki's blade away. The tip still edged its way beneath his chin. "If you're going to be this way, I guess I don't have a choice," he groaned. In a flash of red, he whipped away from Zaraki, twirling Hozukimaru indignantly. "I mean, you're all being irate. Look at you."  
Again, all blades were trained on him. We watched nervously, shifting around him as he paced back and forth in the sand. "I leave for a few hours, and you go ape-shit," he continued. He turned to point Hozukimaru at me, eye-level, and gave me his best scowl. Silence fell like a velvet curtain. I'd never been on the other end of Hozukimaru, other than sparring, and to feel hostility from it scared me. I had nothing to say to him, and nothing to ask him about. It was all too much to think about.  
"You asked for it," he laughed, springing back from the group. The sand began to whirl around us violently, and I struggled to make out his form.  
There were multiple things that happened then. The word "Break" left his lips as a whisper, releasing Hozukimaru's shikai. At the same time, Zaraki lunged for Ikkaku. His blade made it to Ikkaku's chest where it halted immediately, sank into the white fabric, and rammed straight through his torso. What Zaraki didn't see was the tip of Ikkaku's spear dropping toward the ground and dipping deep into the white sand. From there, it went downhill. Thinking he'd succeeded, Zaraki tore his blade out of Ikkaku and took a step back, but noticed immediately that there wasn't any blood. Instead, his sword was covered to the hilt in what looked like damp sand. I could see him mouth "What the hell...?" as he shook the sand away, lunging at Ikkaku again.  
He wouldn't make it.  
The sand shifted instantly, dragging in Zaraki's feet like quicksand. He was up to his knees before he knew it, struggling against the flow of the sand, still slashing at Ikkaku.  
Yumichika panicked. "Captain!" he shouted, running for him frantically. Zaraki was burried up to his shoulders before Yumichika could even get close.  
Beneath my own feet, I felt the sand began to move. It tugged at my feet like an ocean wave would at the beach, swirling around my ankles, making my balance begin to fail. "Renji, move!" I yelled, trying to shove him away from the shifting sand. "Get away from it!"  
He stumbled back, trying to catch my hand, but missed my grip. Hisagi managed to catch my shoulders as I slipped farther into the sand-trying to run had only made it worse, and Hisagi and I were both trapped up to our waists at this point.  
The last thing I could see was Ichigo reaching helplessly for Rukia, who slipped beneath the sand just as I did.

"Get up. You have sand all over you. It's disgusting."  
I gasped. Coincidentally, I inhaled what felt like a gallon of sand, choking myself. I could feel the grit of sand beneath all my clothes, rubbing against my skin. But whose voice was that?  
"It's not that bad. Now get up. We have work to do."  
My gaze began to focus and I realized who was standing in front of me. She was hard to miss, like a train wreck in the middle of a jewelry store.  
But that was just how Egonoki chose to present herself.  
I managed to push myself up, wiping sand off my uniform. She didn't offer any help. She was far too perfect for that, or at least in her mind she was. Getting sand on her golden robes would be such a sin.  
"So why are you here?" I asked, taking a moment to look around. I figured I was knocked out, but then again, I could see that Hisagi was on the floor next to me. So I assumed she just wanted to talk.  
"Because you neglect me, you fool," she chided. "You haven't said a word to me since you started seeing that...that MAN."  
"What man?"  
"The red one! With those tacky tattoos!" She flipped her hair silver dramatically, her jewelry jingling like sleighbells. "I despise him so."  
If she wanted to talk tacky, I could point out a few things about her, but I didn't feel like dealing with her moodswings. They were more ostentacious than her robes, which was definitely an accomplishment. I noticed she seemed different, though. Sickly, even. Had I really neglected her?  
Her robes, which were normally beautiful shades of gold and teal, were dull. The golden embroidery of snowbell blossoms didn't shine. The belled sleeves, her intricate jewerly, even the bottom hem of her robes seemed a little worse for wear. Her skin, normally pure alabaster white like my blade, was almost translucent.  
"I guess I have," I murmured. She snorted indignantly, running her fingers through her hair. She took careful pains to make sure that the golden chandelier ornaments attached to the ends of her hair were still in place and that they still jingled lightly-the same chime that rang out when I called my bankai. "I guess you have, Michiru. Really. I tried to tell you not to get that silly haircut. But your friend with the most-of-the-time good tastes insisted."  
She sauntered toward me, her slim but shapely legs peeping out of her robes. The whole get-up just looked like it was covering her up, but I knew better. She always liked to show off whatever she could. Every step left a small glassy pool on the sandy floor that quickly evaporated behind her into blossoms. The train of her kimono, flared out on the floor behind her like a peacock's tail, caught most of the blossoms. "Get to work, Michiru," she said lowly, reaching out to straighten my captain's haori. The sharp point of her ridiculously long nails scratched at the fabric, her golden eyes locked on mine from beneath her straight bangs. She never failed to give me a chill. "You don't have this because you slacked, or because I was lazy. Now get us out of this mess. And remember who you work with. We're a duo, Michiru, not a solitary hero."  
She was gone, then, before I could ask her anything else. In her place was a glassy pool that glimmered gold, even in the dim light of the tunnel. Vain woman, I thought, as I made my way over to Hisagi.  
He stirred slightly as I neared him, rolling to his side. "Are you alright?" I asked, pulling him up to a sitting position.  
"Yeah, just hit my head hard," he muttered, rubbing his temple gingerly. I could see blood dried on his fingertips and beneath his ear. "I'm fine, really."  
"Well, c'mon then. We'd better start searching for a way out of here."  
I helped him up, making sure he was steady on his feet. The room wasn't well lit, with only a few dull wall fixtures that glowed white lining the way. Everything in this world was pretty much white, I assumed, leading Hisagi down what looked like a corridor.  
"Are we the only ones down here?" Hisagi asked, peering down the hall. "I can't feel anything other than you."  
"I think we are. We must be in some kind of underground network...I wonder where Ikkaku wound up?"  
"Who knows? I honestly don't have a clue."  
"Did you see what happened when Zaraki stabbed him?"  
He nodded. "The sand? Yeah. I saw that. It looked like wet sand all over his sword. It isn't Ikkaku, whatever it is..."  
The floor began to vibrate very faintly. I paused, halting Hisagi. "Did you feel that?" I asked, pointing toward the floor.  
"No. I didn't."  
It thumped beneath my feet, and Hisagi understood. Something was turning, echoing down the hall faintly, and the floor vibrated in time with the noise.  
"Maybe we should keep moving," I suggested, motioning for him to follow. "It might just be some kind of machine. Like a generator, I guess."  
I didn't get far; the floor shifted, violently at first, throwing us off our balance. It lurched to the right again and sealed the passage ahead of us. "Did the door shut or is the whole floor gone?" Hisagi asked, his voice faint over the scraping noises. "I can't tell what's moving!"  
It was unbelievable, but the entire tunnel was moving. I glanced back in time to see that the tunnel behind us was shut, too, and that we were closed inside a small segment of the corridor. The scraping noise was stone grinding against stone as our segment was sent clockwise to the right.  
The tunnel came to a rough pause before jerking into place, opening a new tunnel before us. I glanced at Hisagi. "Let's go before it moves again," I told him, breaking into a run.  
It wasn't long before we came across another segment in process of moving, breaking our sprint. We waited patiently as it scraped by, wondering what might be inside the new segment. When it lurched into place, though, we were relieved to find it empty. Nothing had ridden it to our tunnel, so we took off again.  
The next segment caught us in our tracks. It jerked quickly, slamming into my left shoulder as we entered and knocking me into Hisagi as it began to move. The exit was sealed off instantly, and we were stuck. The only thing we could do was wait until the next tunnel was revealed, and make a run for it there. But were we really getting anywhere? Or was it one big trap?  
Door number 2 slid into view and we stepped off cautiously. There didn't seem to be anything in the tunnel behind us.  
But there was definitely something ahead of us.  
I could make out Ichigo's orange head bobbing in the distance. "Kurosaki!" I called, but he couldn't hear me. He was already too far away.  
We chased him as quickly as we could, flash stepping when we were able, until we got to a reasonable distance.  
"Kurosaki, hold up!" I called again.  
His head whipped around and he slid to a halt. "Oh hey! Kobe! I lost Rukia somewhere in here," he started, pointing back at where we'd just come from. "The tunnels snatched her!"  
"Which way did you come from?" I asked, running beside him. He kept pace evenly with me, pointing to his right.  
"The whole hallway moved me from right to left. I don't know what's going on. Rukia was just out of the way and I think she's still in the other tunnel," he answered. "We got pulled from left to right," Hisagi told him. "Maybe we'll all get pulled together at the end of the line."  
"I doubt it," Ichigo muttered.  
Again, it was a short distance between segments. We were stopped by yet another rotating section that blocked our path. If it was the fake Ikkaku, I felt that we could handle it. An Espada, however, might be a problem.  
The section rolled around to reveal Renji, holding up an injured Ishida. "Michiru! Michiru, you've got to help him," he shouted, nearly falling into the tunnel. "He got caught between two moving walls. I think he broke some ribs."  
"There's nothing I can do for it. We have to keep going, and now," I said, reluctantly pushing Ishida back toward Renji. "Do you want me to carry him?"  
"No. C'mon."  
Ichigo had already started off again, leaving us all a few paces behind him. "He can't wait, can he? Impatient little bastard," Renji said quietly, struggling to run beside me with Ishida over his shoulder. I wasn't sure that it was helping him any to have his broken ribs mashed over Renji's bony shoulder, but what else could we do?  
Apparently, we couldn't do anything, because the tunnel ahead of us shut and we found ourselves being tossed upward. Hisagi was left behind, somewhere in the tunnel below us.  
"Shit. Shit shit shit," I whispered, shaking my head as the tunnel opened again. Hisagi and Kurosaki both were separated from everyone, all by themselves, and it worried me.  
Renji grabbed my wrist. "Don't stop," he told me, dragging me along. "There has to be an end somewhere."  
"But Hisagi is back there! I can't leave him!" I objected, trying to yank my wrist out of his hold. "Hisagi can handle himself, Michiru. We have to get out of h-"  
**


	21. Chapter 21

****IMPORTANT! I want to write a thank you to all of the people who have reviewed, added to favorite, or alerted my story! It means a lot to me, and it totally keeps me writing the story! I try to respond to all of the reviews personally. So here goes! Reviewers - AbaraiArekushisu, Sweet And Deadly, SmilexForxBleach, JJ-Jefferu, pjmunky, Kiwi-kiwi-kii, Lyssalyssa, ren-shika-inu15, SnowCrystals, KuroiNeko72, Edward the Pure, IchiiSama, Kumani Arentoi. Favoriters - AbaraiArekushisu, AzureIceCrystal, ChocoCosplayer, Hellz Pearl, Hidden-Spirit, Howling SheWolf, HowlingWolf26, IchiiSama, Kiwi-kiwi-kii, Kumani Arentoi, , OldBlueRiver, ourshadownightshade, ren-shika-inu15, SnOw-CoVeReD-AnGeL, SnowCrystals, . Alerters - AbaraiArekushisu, AnimeLuva3, Athena of wisdom, Edward the Pure, gnarley-. Howling SheWolf, imagination junkie, JJ-Jefferu, Kiwi-kiwi-kii, KuroiNeko72, Lady Kitsune no Kyuubi, Nikk0SuperKeAiButt0ns, pjmunky, ren-shika-inu15, SnowCrystals, , XxSilentMoonAngelxX, Yachiru'sKitten. Thank you so much for all your reviewing and reading! Especially to those of you who are on all three lists! :3 it makes me very happy. I am sorry that this chapter is so short, I can't tell you how rough this semester of college has been. But please enjoy it, if it's confusing I am always available to clarify! Love, NekoNekoNow, and the song is "Labyrinth" by Oomph! ** **

**RENJI**

I wasn't entirely sure what had happened. It took a moment for me to shake the fog out of my head, though, before I realized where I was at. The room I was in seemed endless. I couldn't tell where it started and where it ended because it didn't seem like there were any walls. Just columns. Hundreds and hundreds of columns that stretched into the darkness around me. They looked like unlit candle sticks, reaching toward the ceiling far above.  
Ishida groaned on my shoulder, squirming angrily. "Put me down," he gasped, yanking on my uniform.  
I let him down gently, feeling blood drip down my own temple. I couldn't figure out if we'd gone up or down, or what my head hit, but I knew that my head was throbbing like crazy. Ishida was in much worse condition, though, and unfortunately I didn't know how to help him in any way.  
"What's hurt?" I asked him, tearing a strip off of my uniform to tie around his gashed shoulder. Blood had already begun to dry and cake to the side of his face, mainly where he'd coughed it up. I guessed he'd punctured a lung with a broken rib. "Everything," he struggled. "My chest, my ribs, my neck. It's hard to breathe..."  
He managed to sit up, wretching blood violently. Something internal was incredibly messed up, maybe even an important organ, and I was frustrated that I couldn't help. "We've got to keep moving," I told him. "I'll find you help soon."  
"No you won't."  
That wasn't his voice, I thought, and when I glanced down at him, he was just as puzzled. I drew Zabimaru slowly, scanning the room the best I could in the dim light. Nothing.  
"He's dying, y'know? He'll bleed to death in half an hour."  
Again, I couldn't find the source of the voice. I knew exactly who it was when I gave it some thought-it was the fake Ikkaku, but I needed to be able to see him. Not just hear him.  
"So hand him over. I got orders, and you obviously got shit ta do. Give him here."  
White filtered into the corner of my vision and I whipped around, Zabimaru pointed. Fake Ikkaku took a step back. "Don't come any closer," I warned. I wasn't particularly concerned, but Ishida was not in shape to back me up if something happened. My best option was to try and disarm him, or take off before he could attack. If he attacked.  
He grinned. It was the same sideways smirk, but the more I looked at him, the more I noticed the differences. The red eye makeup wasn't right; it was too sharp. Too long. And the last time I checked, he didn't have any kind of mark like a tattoo on him, but there on his left hand was some kind of brand. Or stamp. It was just a small black diamond, some kind of number inside, but I knew that it wasn't really him.  
The tiny differences would be his undoing.  
His robes rustled as he circled around me nervously. "Look. I have to get you, Ishida, Kurosaki, and the rest of your knot-head bunch and herd you back to HQ. The least you can do is come peacefully, or I can just kill you and bring you back that way," he said. The Arrancar outfit was stained, I noticed, right under where Kenpachi had stabbed earlier. But with what? It was just a beige stain, like dirt. "There's four more of me anyway, so you won't get far if you manage to kill me now."  
It took me a moment to process, but I began to piece it together. Four more of him? And the number on his hand...  
"You mean to tell me that you're-" I started, but he cut me off.  
"I'm just a copy, really." He flourished the diamond on his hand, pointing at the number five inside it. "Copy number five, as dictated by Lord Aizen. Numbers one through 4 are in the tunnels with your friends."  
"You're telling them entirely too much! You bastard..."  
Another voice, and this one made my breath catch. I searched for her, praying that it wasn't her, begging every deity I knew of that she wasn't on their side, but if Ikkaku was a copy...?  
Michiru dropped from one of the columns, but I could immediately understand that it wasn't really her. For one, her hair was the unholy length that it used to be, and on top of that she didn't even have her captain's haori on. It was ridiculously obvious what I was dealing with, and I figured that even Ishida, in his battered state, could understand it too.  
"Do you want to deal with them? Because if you're not going to, I'm going back to find Kenpachi," Ikkaku number five asked her, sheathing his mock Hozukimaru. "I guess I'll do it...go on," she told him. He turned to escape, but I couldn't let him go.  
I did the first thing I could think of.  
I slashed at him wildly, knowing that he wasn't expecting it, and managed to hit my mark. I was aiming for right above his shoulders, in the center of the neck, and when my blade sank in I just knew that I had killed him. It was almost satisfaction.  
But of course, it couldn't be that easy. Zabimaru slid through his neck effortlessly, but emerged on the other side of his head un-bloodied and covered in sand. Damp white sand. Ikkaku sputtered and coughed but whirled around to swing at me.  
I barely avoided it. The end of his spear tore through the front of my uniform before I could back away, but it didn't cut me.  
"Don't try that," he said calmly, shaking his head at me. "A, it doesn't work, and B, you're dealing with her now. Not me. I'm out of the fight. So leave me alone, and don't try that again."  
And he left. Without another word, he disappeared into the endless corridor, and I was left with Michiru number whatever standing in front of me.  
She circled me slowly, her fingertips tracing over the collar of her uniform slowly and what she believed to be seductively. Her eyes weren't silver like the real Michiru's; they were dull and plain grey. Unlife-like. Even Egonoki seemed to be an off-color of white. Everything about her was wrong.  
"Hey there," she purred, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I believe I know you."  
"I believe you don't," I growled. This wasn't going to be an easy fight.  
Ishida yanked on my uniform from behind. "Here. If you get in a bind, use this," he said, pressing a small silver vial into my hand. "It's concentrated reishi. Just drop it close to her."  
"What'll it do?" "Just do what I said. Drop it, and get out of the way."  
"Whispering about me?" she interrupted, inching closer. "Let's play. My way."


	22. Chapter 22

**** Hai everybody! I'm back again, and I need help! If this story is getting confusing, please comment and tell me how to clarify A) Location B) Character roles C) Action or D) something else entirely. I'm so scatter brained these days. Anyway, this chapter is about Michiru putting together some of the plot, and a little battle scene. Next chapter I'll roll things along and an Espada just might show up (May or may not be Szayel). Music for this chapter is "Resign to Surrender" by Epica. BTW, how many of you listen to the music I recommend? I would like to know ^-^ Overandout 3 ****

**MICHIRU**

"How did it feel, Michiru?"  
I could feel the blood seeping through my uniform slowly, saturating my sleeve. Fake Ikkaku had speared me in the forearm, but not deeply, just enough to make me bleed profusely. He was playing mind-games with me now, though, and I didn't have time for it.  
"It was wonderful, if you must know," I countered. He sneered.  
"I can't believe you actually want to be with him. You had me the whole time, y'know," he continued. "I know I'm not exactly the good looks around here but...hello."  
He lunged again, and we launched into another foray of slashes and blocks.  
Fake Ikkaku wasn't much faster than real Ikkaku in terms of movements and attacks, and for the most part, he was predictable. Even his attitude was entirely too copy-cat, to the point that he was cheesy. I told myself over and over that if I just kept running the gambit with him that I would figure him out, but for some reason, I couldn't keep up.  
"What happened that evening when he spent the night in your room?" he asked, locking our weapons momentarily. My blade ground against his spear angrily. "Did you-"  
"Nothing you need to know about," I growled. How did Ikkaku even know about that? Or was it conjecture?  
Panting, fake Ikkaku backed away a good distance. He was running out of energy, I guessed, which didn't quite make sense. His heavy breathing echoed in the giant corridor around us, reminding me that it was just me and him, and nobody else. If I slipped up, it would be all over with. No help. Everybody else had been separated from me in the tunnels, and I had no clue where I was at, other than I was in a huge white hallway. Again.  
"Tell me. How many of you are there?" I asked, ripping a piece off of my haori. I tied it around my forearm carefully to stop the bleeding. "I know that there has to be more than one of you."  
The number on his palm said 3, which I assumed was some kind of ranking system. And if my theory was right, the "Espada" numbers hadn't increased. Fake Ikkaku had an enormous amount of spiritual pressure, which could be easily misconstrued to read as an Espada, but he had no control over it. Therefore he couldn't use it right, resulting in his fatigue. I had no clue if this was right, but I prayed that it was. The only other question was how did they manage to copy Ikkaku, and who were the other copies?  
"There's only five of me," he huffed. He stooped over to catch his breath, and I noticed that sand was dripping from his uniform in places. And it didn't reassimilate. "And three of you, and two Yumichika."  
"You're so forthcoming with this information."  
He glanced back up at me. "You're going to die soon anyway, so I figured I would tell you," he muttered. "Then can you tell me where I'm at?" I asked. I motioned to the door off in the distance. "And I would like to know where that door goes. Because I'm going to get out of here alive and personally kick Aizen's ass."  
"You're right below the Octava Espada's quarters," he answered. "That's why you can't tell where your friends are. The walls block all sorts of reishi. Also, that's why the tunnels moved. I'm sure he got a kick out of nearly tearing your friend in half."  
"Did this guy make all of your copies?"  
Fake Ikkaku nodded. "Sure did." He stood upright again, shaking out his arms. "Lord Aizen gave us our ranks. Which don't really mean anything. The guy's got a thing for numbering shit. Can we continue?"  
Again, he wasted no time, and lunged directly for me. It was as if he was slowly losing all his power though-his attacks had less fury, his movements lacked haste. I was able to block and stop every slash with ease. Or was it just me?  
I doubted it was me. There was something about him that was waning, and I wondered if it had anything to do with what he was made of and his unsteady spiritual pressure. When the moment finally came, I took a swing at his midsection. He left it unguarded for long enough that I slashed directly through his ribs and out the other side. The white fabric of his uniform tore away slightly, revealing a damp sandy spot where Egonoki had nearly disected him.  
To my surprise, he didn't reassimilate. The cut seeped sand for a moment, spilling it onto the smooth white floor. He grasped at it in panic and tried to stop it, only to have it slip through his fingers, pooling around his feet. "They didn't tell me about this," he gasped, gripping his side. "I don't know why I can't-"  
I took the opportunity and attacked again. He managed to stop me once, his heels grinding into the floor as we slid across the room. "What are you made out of?" I pressed, shoving him farther and farther back. "What's making you tick?"  
"I don't know! I really have no clue!" he snapped.  
He knocked me back somehow, making me stumble and fall onto my back. I scrambled to get to my feet, but he managed to pin me, flash-stepping across the room to stand on my shoulders. "I can't let you get out of here," he told me. He raised Hozukimaru, ready to drop it.  
I gripped his ankle, tearing his foothold out from under him and rolling him to the side violently. He managed to break his fall and flip back onto his feet, but it gave me enough time to jump up and think about my options. He watched me warily from a distance.  
"When were you made?" I asked him, distracting him from my actions. I began to sketch a circle into the white floor beneath me with the tip of Egonoki, slowly enough that he wasn't watching.  
"I-I don't know. Sometime before you got your hair cut off. I remember that," he answered. "Seriously, though. Can we get this over with?"  
I whispered to Egonoki. She listened, for once in a million years, and I could feel the ice began to spread from around my feet and toward fake Ikkaku. He noticed immediately, taking steps back until he bumped into the far wall, panicking.  
"What are you doing?" he gasped, still trying to back away. There really wasn't anything he could do. Even though he'd noticed so soon, there was no avoiding it, and the ice had spread faster than I'd ever seen it. And once it touched him, even if it was an eighth of an inch of surface, there was no getting it off. It seemed too easy. I drew my ring quickly and broke it as soon as the ice was around his ankles, letting the reverbrations shatter him away into shards of gold. I even waited for moments after he was gone to see if he would reassimilate, but nothing happened.  
It still felt weird. I hadn't put much of an effort into killing him, and having only summoned shikai, I felt like I had really missed something important. I didn't see how I could be missing information, especially after all he'd told me about his copies, but at the same time, I felt like I should have asked him more. And if he had such enormous pressure, then why did it wane, and why was I able to defeat him so easily? I began to put it togther slowly. If he was losing pressure as he fought, then he was spending it somewhere during the action. Not necessarily in attacking, but maybe in regenerating. I knew for a fact that I'd cut him more than once, but when it didn't affect him directly, I had assumed that it wasn't doing any good. So the reassimilation was a spiritual pressure tax. He could only regenerate so many times until he used up that pressure, I concluded, which I considered to be a huge flaw in design. Was that why he had such a high pressure to begin with? Was it a buffer? And if he was only a pawn, then what was waiting for me ahead?  
Too many questions I thought, heading for the nearest door.


	23. Chapter 23

****Hai guys, I need to know if this new format is helping anything or if it's still confusing. I looked back at some of my other stuff and realized that the dialog was kind of messed up and out of place, so is this helping anything? Also, sorry about the dwindling word count... I have finals all this week and next week. O.o so yeah. Anyway, song is "Monster" by the Jpop group EXILE. Enjoys. 3 ****

Time didn't seem to lapse in Hueco Mundo. I didn't know how long I'd been winding through hallways, or where I was even at, but it felt as fruitless as running through the desert earlier.

I couldn't seem to make my arm stop bleeding either, which was more of a nuisance than anything.

It also bugged me that I hadn't run into anyone in particular.

If fake Ikkaku had been right, and I was below the eighth Espada's place, then why the hell didn't he come down and try to stop me? Was he just watching me?

Probably.

It wasn't long before I came upon what looked like a sliding door, complete with thick glass panes and a chrome door handle. It wasn't locked. In fact, the door slid open smoothly when I

approached it, which made me question why it even had a door handle. The pneumatic hiss startled me though and I shuffled through.

I honestly expected to be in another hallway. Instead I was greeted with a blast of cold air and the smell of formaldehyde, nearly choking on the smell alone. I struggled to breathe right as

I entered the door, wondering what in the hell could be around the corner.

I was beyond shocked.

There were specimen jars and canisters from one end of the walkway to another. Each of them was filled with something that I couldn't identify, and I didn't want to try. I could vaguely

see eyes and ears and body parts in some of them, while others were too full to recognize anything.

What nearly broke me was what lay at the end of the walkway.

There were tubes, filled with some sort of blue liquid, standing side by side on the far wall. They were shinigami sized and each of them contained just that-a shinigami. I nearly

screamed, tripping and falling over some of the jars that were too big to put on shelves.

I recognized these people.

And there they were, suspended in time, lifeless like...like puppets. Dolls. Some of them were my classmates, and I recognized them immediately. Like Yokohana, a girl that had been

applying for fourth company when I left. She was just hanging there, her long hair fanned out behind her in the blue liquid as if she was asleep. And Daiikon, the boy that had just entered the

academy, studying kidou.

On either side hung Ikkaku and Orihime. I didn't want to believe they were dead. They couldn't be dead.

Especially not when I was hanging right next to Ikkaku.

In shock, I stumbled back up to the tubes, peering in at myself. I still had long hair. No scars. No indication of my fight with Gin. My mind grasped at straws to try and explain it away, but I

couldn't face reality. Or whatever it was.

There were more and more people behind them, I realized, as I studied the tubes. The buttons on the right-hand side of the contraptions obviously moved the giant tubes on some kind of

rack-how many shinigami were here? And who in the world was collecting them like this? I could faintly see a copy of Yumichika hanging behind Ikkaku, and Renji behind Daiikon.

"You found them?"

I whipped around, searching for the new voice. I hadn't heard him before, whoever he was, but I sure as hell didn't like his voice at all. It was slimier than Gin's.

"You could say I stumbled upon them," I said lowly. I put my back to the tubes, just so there wasn't any way someone could attack from behind. Or so I hoped.

"They're gorgeous. Don't you think?"

The corner of the room moved, and I realized that whoever it was had been standing there the whole time. And I couldn't even feel their presence.

He was a tall, willowy man, with thin glasses and the strangest, ferret-like movements. His pink hair was wavy and nearly stringy, just like the rest of him. He was kind of like a giant noodle

with the way he was shaped and how he walked. And yet I felt threatened.

"I think that you need to direct me to the nearest exit and let me get my job done," I told him, my back thumping against the tubes. "I don't have time for a sideshow."

"Of course you don't. I do, though, and I think it would be beneficial if you...paused, for a moment in your little adventure," he continued.

"And why is that?"

"Because if you don't, you'll die much more slowly."

**RENJI**

She was almost dead. Missing an arm and dripping sand, the fake Michiru in front of me struggled to keep pace. Of course, I had a few wounds too, but I wasn't impaired in any way.

"That was a fancy trick," she muttered, clamping her hand over the stump of her other arm. Sand poured through her fingers. "What was that?"

"I don't know. Ask him," I told her, pointing at Ishida. Whatever he'd had in that little vial was ridiculously powerful-all I had to do was drop it. It burned my feet but I had mortally

wounded her in some kind of white explosion.

"Obviously I wasn't programmed to stop it."

Her next attack was weak. Horribly so. I was able to stop it with my palm, so I tore the sword out of her hand, listening to it clatter to the floor behind me. "Please give up," I told her.

I didn't want to kill her. Honestly. Even though I knew it wasn't really Michiru, it messed with my mind to try and kill her.

"I can't do that," she told me.

She lurched at me with her only arm, clawing at my face. I sidestepped her. "Please. I really, really don't want to do this," I begged, but she continued to fight. Her kicks and strikes didn't

stop. Even though I was stepping around them, blocking them rather gently, she didn't stop.

"You don't understand!" she screamed. She slid to a halt in front of me, panting angrily. "You don't fucking understand! I'm not made to let you go. I'm made to stop you! And I'm not

getting the job done! So, no, I won't stop!"

Sand poured from her shoulder now. She was furious and attacking blindly, giving me all sorts of opportunities to just finish her off.

"Can you at least tell me where I'm at?" I asked her. "It won't make any difference! I don't have any sense of direction here."

"No. I won't tell you," she huffed. "I will tell you that if you get past me, you'll still die."

"What's past you?"

"More of me."

Again, she threw herself at me. I could do nothing but block her and send her tumbling away, scattering sand all over the floor. "How many?" I asked, stepping on her throat. I had to put

it out of my mind that she just looked like Michiru-she was evil. Had to be killed.

"Hell, I don't know anymore. He was still copying when he let me out of the lab." She struggled, yanking at my ankle, but she was too weak. "If you have to know, going through that door

will take you to the Sexta Espada's place. So don't go there. Just thought I'd warn you, since you're so...persistent."

"I'll tear him apart," I told her, noting her sudden change in attitude. But I didn't particularly care.

I had Espadas to kill.

Without another thought, I dropped Zabimaru's blade, ending the fight.


	24. Chapter 24

****HAI zomg I'm so sorry guys, I've been moving out of school...finals...all that jazz. So I'm very very sorry it took me so long to post. But things are about to wrap up soon, and Michiru will find out some interesting things about Egonoki in later chapters. ^-^ Love for all. ****

**RENJI**

She was almost dead. Missing an arm and dripping sand, the fake Michiru in front of me struggled to keep pace. Of course, I had a few wounds too, but I wasn't impaired in any way.

"That was a fancy trick," she muttered, clamping her hand over the stump of her other arm. Sand poured through her fingers. "What was that?"

"I don't know. Ask him," I told her, pointing at Ishida. Whatever he'd had in that little vial was ridiculously powerful-all I had to do was drop it. It burned my feet but I had mortally wounded her in some kind of white explosion.

"Obviously I wasn't programmed to stop it."

Her next attack was weak. Horribly so. I was able to stop it with my palm, so I tore the sword out of her hand, listening to it clatter to the floor behind me. "Please give up," I told her.

I didn't want to kill her. Honestly. Even though I knew it wasn't really Michiru, it messed with my mind to try and kill her.

"I can't do that," she told me.

She lurched at me with her only arm, clawing at my face. I sidestepped her. "Please. I really, really don't want to do this," I begged, but she continued to fight. Her kicks and strikes didn't stop. Even though I was stepping around them, blocking them rather gently, she didn't stop.

"You don't understand!" she screamed. She slid to a halt in front of me, panting angrily. "You don't fucking understand! I'm not made to let you go. I'm made to stop you! And I'm not getting the job done! So, no, I won't stop!"

Sand poured from her shoulder now. She was furious and attacking blindly, giving me all sorts of opportunities to just finish her off.

"Can you at least tell me where I'm at?" I asked her. "It won't make any difference! I don't have any sense of direction here."

"No. I won't tell you," she huffed. "I will tell you that if you get past me, you'll still die."

"What's past you?"

"More of me."

Again, she threw herself at me. I could do nothing but block her and send her tumbling away, scattering sand all over the floor. "How many?" I asked, stepping on her throat. I had to put it out of my mind that she just looked like Michiru-she was evil. Had to be killed.

"Hell, I don't know anymore. He was still copying when he let me out of the lab." She struggled, yanking at my ankle, but she was too weak. "If you have to know, going through that door will take you to the Sexta Espada's place. So don't go there. Just thought I'd warn you, since you're so...persistent."

"I'll tear him apart," I told her, noting her sudden change in attitude. But I didn't particularly care.

I had Espadas to kill.

Without another thought, I dropped Zabimaru's blade, ending the fight. Ishida sighed behind me, looking away as if it was a bloody scene. "It's a shame," he said quietly.

"What is?" I shook the sand off Zabimaru. "It had to be done."

"That technology could be used for something good. And it had to end up here," he muttered. He wretched violently, blood still seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Without thinking, I scooped him up off the floor and headed for the exit. "I've gotta get you fixed, man," I told him. I could feel the broken ribs pressing through his clothes angrily, as if they were trying to escape.

"I'll be alright," he gasped, still coughing.

"My ass. What was that thing you gave me back there? That exploding stuff?" I asked him. I was trying to keep him conscious, making sure that he didn't pass out.

He thought for a moment, straightening his broken glasses. "Concentrated reishi, I believe," he said. "It's interesting how it works..."

"Well tell me all about it. Detail," I pressed. He was drifting out of mind.

He rattled on as we made our way down the corridor. I was headed up-the stairs ahead of me seemed endless, just like the giant room I was in earlier. In fact, the whole place felt infinite, like a giant sandbox. And I was lost. I didn't even have a sense of where I was going.

Ishida began struggle to tell me anything past the fact that he was in major pain. He drifted in and out of consciousness, wheezing, his face ashen. I knew that if I didn't get him fixed soon he wouldn't be around for much longer, but at this point, I felt like I was carrying a dead man.

I didn't know how long he was going to make it.

I ran for as long as I could. There had to be miles between me and the last corridor at this point, but the scenery hadn't changed a bit except for the fact that I was no longer climbing stairs. In fact, I had passed numerous rooms and twists and turns, but the basic layout and decor was exactly the same.

Maybe that was why Aizen was so pissed off. This place was a mindfuck and a half.

When I finally came to a stop, I was in the middle of what appeared to be living quarters. There were doors everywhere, all with different names etched into each door. But they all had one thing in common, and that was one number. 6.

The number six covered everything, as if it was a brand. Then I remembered what fake Michiru had said. Sexta Espada. The number six. Was he here? And if he was, why couldn't I feel him? It was entirely too disorienting not to be able to feel someone's reiatsu.

"Hey. You," I said, shaking Ishida carefully. "Wake up. Stay awake. Tell me something I don't know about."

He mumbled something, but didn't respond like I had hoped. I kept moving, rounding the corner and into another hallway, until I heard one of the doors click.

Chains rattled. I took a step back, prepared to put Ishida aside and fight, but I heard a voice.

"Don't look anyone in the eye. Got it? And don't dare make a run for it. I'll tear you apart. Favor for a favor."

Someone stepped through the door. He glared over his shoulder at whoever was behind him, yanking what appeared to be a thick chain. I heard a yelp that sounded oddly familiar. It wasn't until I saw the brown-red hair that I knew who it was-this man was dragging Inoue behind him.

"Hey! Drop her!" I shouted, putting Ishida down and rushing at him.

That was a mistake.

The man simply grabbed my blade, though it did cut his palm, and glared at me. "And who might you be?" he growled, his blue eyes narrowing.

I glanced down. The number 6 was printed on his stomach, and I realized my mistake. I had just jumped on the sixth Espada; I was as good as dead.

But I couldn't let him think that.

"I'll tell you when I kill you," I told him, backing away quickly. His blue hair was much like Michiru's, but his eyes were full of hate. Rage.

This man would kill on sight, and I knew it.

"Don't get in my way, and I won't have to kill you," he said angrily. "I've got bigger things to deal with."

Inoue looked up at me from the floor. Her eyes were desperate, nearly dead. What had they done to her? Her spirit was gone, I could tell. There was nothing left of her.

"Give me her, and you won't have to deal with me at all," I countered.

"No. Now leave."

The man yanked at her again, and I realized that the chain was around her wrists. He had gagged her too, and she was basically at his will.

"I can't let you leave with her," I said, but I had a sinking feeling that I was really in over my head this time. There was something about this man that unnerved me.

He didn't seem to react to me, so I lunged for the chain. It snapped under Zabimaru's blade, making both of them stumble, so I took a swing at him. But he disappeared. I couldn't locate him fast enough and I whirled aimlessly, searching for the signature blue hair. Inoue struggled to her knees behind me.

"I told you to leave me be," the man spat, and I felt something all too familiar pierce my chest.

I looked down to see his blade protruding through my uniform, obviously through my chest, but the pain didn't register until moments afterward. The burn, the sensation of ice cold metal piercing skin...it sank in slowly.

But I had to keep going. Though I fell to one knee, I rounded on him, catching him in the side. He was careless-too bent on some other objective to be aware of my movements. Then again, I was too weak to stop him, and it was only a matter of time before I felt his blade slice through me again.

It was a shame that he had cut me down so quickly.

***MICHIRU***

Szayel jerked my head up roughly. My vision was cloudy-whatever poison he'd stuck me with had been strong enough to cloud my thoughts for hours now, and I wan't exactly sure what had gone on in that time. I couldn't recall any directions through the hallways and I couldn't even remember what I was supposed to be doing.

That is, until I saw who was sitting before me.

"Lord Aizen, I brought you a prisoner," Szayel chimed, tossing me forward.

I realized that I couldn't move my hands and I crashed to the floor clumsily, unable to catch myself. They were bound behind my back in some sort of plastic grip.

"I told you not to be so rough, Szayel."

That voice. I managed to pull my head up enough to see Aizen perched before me, leaning on his palm casually.

"But you told me I could test her," Szayel whined, taking a step away from me. "She was belligerent, anyway. I had to subdue her."

"There was no need for it to become bloody, though. Leave me, Szayel."

Miffed, Szayel bowed stiffly before stomping his way out of the chamber. It was just me and Aizen. He stared at me from his throne in a bored manner, not once giving me any sort of acknowledgement.

"Do you know why you're here?" he asked suddenly, as if I had become interesting.

"To kill you," I sputtered. I struggled up to my feet, swaying from Szayel's poison. The bastard had done no telling what to me while I was subdued, and I was angry that I couldn't stop him. "I thought you knew that by now."

"Other than that, I have you here for a reason," he started. He stood slowly, his robes unfurling like curtains. "I thought you would be much more difficult to capture. But anyway. You have something I want."

"And that is?"

He circled me slowly, reaching down to my side. I tried to avoid, but his hand gripped Egonoki solidly and he drew her from the sheath. "This. Do you know why?"

"No, I don't," I admitted, glaring at him angrily. I didn't want him touching my Zanpakutou so casually.

"You know how long I've been studying you by now, surely," he purred, tracing the edge of my blade with his thumb. He seemed shocked that it knicked him. "Your bankai; it does something that I need to copy. In fact, all of your friends, including your Assistant Captain, have something I need. Attributes, if you will."

He circled me again, sketching on the ground aimlessly with the tip of Egonoki.

"For instance, the way you shatter things effortlessly with Egonoki...it's very useful. I need to know how it happens. So here's my ultimatum." He paused dramatically, sheathing Egonoki again. "Give me this, and you live. Refuse, and I kill your friends."

I whirled on him. "You can't kill them. You don't even know where they're at right now," I growled.

He grinned. "You think that. But look."

He gripped my shoulder, turning me to face the opposite wall. Monitors of all sorts lined the wall, detailing where each corridor led. I could just make out Hisagi and Yumichika on one monitor, fighting with what appeared to be a fake Ikkaku. I searched frantically for Renji, but my heart dropped.

Renji was lying lifeless on one of the monitors, slumped over in the middle of a corridor, with Ishida behind him.

I choked. "You bastard," I breathed, but he only smiled.

"So you actually don't have much of a choice at this point," he said, and tore Egonoki off my uniform, sheath and all. "Let's just say I'll kill the rest of them. After all, I already have copies of the more important ones."


	25. Chapter 25

**Here's a shortie to reveal what I will FINALLY finish up with. I am REALLY sorry that I disappeared for so long. I've just now gotten back to school where there's internet and safety. I've also had a summer job, so please forgive me. And forgive me for the shortness of this chapter. I've also been trying my hand at fiction and writing about two couples, Sofia and Lukas, and Randi and Tomas. I might post them later on fictionpress. Either way, please forgive me and I'll try to post again soon! 3 you all. **

There was nothing I could do. I struggled to call a kidou to mind, but something so silly as that would only anger Aizen. It wouldn't hurt him. Or even bother him. But in this situation, I could give the others a fighting chance, or at least a few moments to spare.  
I jumped and whipped the handcuffs under my ankles, half-way giving me freedom with my arms. When Aizen turned on me, I kicked. I kicked as hard as I could, my foot flying straight for his face. And for once, I caught the bastard off guard.  
Egonoki skittered across the floor, thumping against the far wall as Aizen stumbled. "You have tenacity. I'll give you that," he growled, rubbing his jaw. With a sickening crack, he straightened it, rotating his neck slowly. "But sometimes, you need to know your place."  
"I have no place here. I have nothing of you to respect," I shot back, rushing him.  
I knew he would dodge. But where, I wasn't sure. Rushing at him wasn't the smartest move, but I was anticipating his motions. When he tried to avoid me, he merely stepped to the side, prepared to trip me or catch me, whatever came to his mind. I immediately changed directions and threw another kick, this time with the opposite leg, and caught him in the side of the knee. He didn't seem fazed at all.  
"Anticipation," he said quietly, jerking his elbow to catch me in the ribs. "I underestimated your boldness, but it won't happen again."  
I crumpled, coughing hard from losing my breath. "Wait. Don't leave yet. I'll tell you what you want to know," I tried, scrambling to formulate a plan. "I'll tell you anything."  
"No you won't. Don't try to lie to me. You're just trying to bide time." He picked Egonoki up again, making his way toward the exit. "When I am done with these copies, there will be absolutely nothing that the entire Soul Society can do."  
I watched him exit helplessly. Here I was, lying on a shiny black onyx floor, my hands bound and my Zanpakutou gone. I was useless. Absolutely, positively useless. And behind me, I could see everyone fighting toward their demise. Unknowing of what was waiting on them.  
In a fit of rage, I bashed the clear handcuffs on the steps to his throne. The sharp edge of the black granite didn't so much as chip the polymer. I swung and swung until my wrists were bloody, even cracking the granite, but the polymer didn't even scratch.  
I couldn't find one surface in the whole room that would break the cuffs.  
Eventually, I collapsed in front of the monitors. Renji was dead. I was trapped. The whole mission was useless, futile. And now I couldn't even warn my friends, who were drawing closer and closer to the real danger. They weren't going to find Orihime. They weren't going to save Ikkaku. They were all going to die, and it was my fault.  
My fault, I thought.  
I was broken at this point. I sobbed, willing Renji to move, but he lay lifeless and bloody on the screen. There was nothing I could do.  
"Get up."  
"No," I choked. I knew good and well who was standing behind me.  
"I said get up. I'm not asking you to. I will make you stand up."  
I felt Enogoki's cold fingers reach around my collar. She yanked me upward, setting me on my feet easily.  
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something," she snapped, pulling me around to face her. "You're not dead yet."  
"I'm as good as dead. I can't do shit," I sputtered.  
She slapped me. I felt the blow before it even hit, knowing that it was going to sting. "You can't do it because you've given up on yourself. Just because he has me doesn't mean I'm not still with you. He just has a blade, as far as I'm concerned," she said. Her hair jewels jingled lightly from her movement.  
"But what can I do? You tell me."  
She reached down, taking my bloody fists in her hand gingerly. The blood stained her alabaster skin, but for once, she put her vanity aside. "Sit still," she said, bringing my hands to her face. Very carefully, she blew across the plastic, her icy breath coating the plastic in gauzy ice. I could feel it begin to freeze against my skin.  
In one swift motion, she clapped her hands together and the familiar reverberation rang out, shattering the plastic like thin glass. "Now go. I can help in one more way, but I won't tell you until you show me you want to live," she told me, backing away from me slowly. "Go, Michiru. You don't have much time."  
And she disappeared. For a moment, I was stunned that she helped me, but I didn't have time to stand there and gawk. I had to run.  
I dashed for the exit, regretting bashing at the cuffs. My arms were leaving a blood trail behind me as I ran, but I couldn't do anything about it. Someone was bound to follow me anyway, whether I wanted them to or not-it was just up to fate.


End file.
